[Magdalen] Cooking advice - steamed pudding

[Roger Stokes]

On 25/01/2018 22:23, Rick Mashburn wrote:
> ObAng content -- Spotted Dick!
>
> Now that I have your attention, Alex and I are in a gourmet group. Our next
> dinner is coming up soon and we're in charge of dessert this time around.
> Because this is a group of gay men, I just can't resist cooking Spotted
> Dick with Cream Anglaise.
>
> I've found several recipes online that call for English products such as
> suet and caster sugar. So far as I can tell, those aren't available in
> Texas. Martha Stewart has a good looking recipe that uses butter and
> regular sugar instead.
>
> My questions:
>
> - Will butter and sugar be acceptable substitutes? Or, are suet and caster
> sugar actually available here?

The problem is the suet which I think may be an essential ingredient in 
the raising of the steamed pudding. I do not believe that butter would 
have the same effect. Suet is the hard fat from around the kidneys and 
loins of (usually) a cow so may be obtainable through a butcher. In the 
UK it is generally bought processed into convenient form but you can use 
the raw product shredded. Vegetarian forms are also available. The first 
step should be Google for vegetarian suet which may be more generally 
available. Next step would be to find a good neighbourhood butcher and 
talk to them. Even with the US distaste of offal there will still be fat 
around the kidneys off slaughtered cows and that is what you want.

Roger