[Magdalen] Cooking advice - steamed pudding

[Jay Weigel]

But what the heck is caster sugar? Is it superfine sugar? I think I read
that once.

On Fri, Jan 26, 2018 at 10:39 AM, Molly Wolf <lupa at kos.net> wrote:

> Suet for pudding isn’t rendered; it’s finely shredded or grated.  I used
> to prep 20-odd pounds of beef kidney fat (it comes as a capsule around the
> kidneys) for the ACW plum pudding fundraiser.  The stuff is utterly
> revolting until chilled solid.  Then you tease the fat out of its
> membranes, free it from tiny blood vessels, and break it up into crumbs.
> Rather peaceful work, if greasy.
>
> Molly
>
> The man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no
> other way. -- Mark Twain
>
> > On Jan 26, 2018, at 5:20 AM, Simon Kershaw <simon at kershaw.org.uk> wrote:
> >
> > I would say that suet is essential.
> >
> > Althpugh my grandmother would have bought suet from the butcher as a big
> > lump of fat, these days it is more accessible in ready-grated form. The
> > standard brand is Atora -- and I see this is available at amazon.com for
> > just a few dollars. So you should be able to get it. Unless you have
> > vegetarians coming I would use the proper beef version.
> >
> > Granulated sugar will probably be okay, but you might be able to test
> some
> > of the grains in the pudding. Caster sugar is a little finar. You can put
> > granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for a few seconds to make
> > it more like caster -- but not too long or you'll get icing sugar
> > (powder).
> >
> > The choice of material for the pudding basin shouldn't matter too much,
> > even plastic. A lid is quite useful, and probably usable with a suet
> > pudding. (I wouldn't use a lid when cooking a steamed sponge pudding
> > because the pudding will rise or expand, but a suet pudding should be
> > okay.)
> >
> > You do want to steam it, either in a proper steamer or suspended over
> > boiling water in some other way. If making do (as I do) with an ad-hoc
> > arrangement in a saucepan, do think about how you are going to get the
> > basin out of the pan when it's cooked. I rig up a string cradle -- two
> > pieces of string placed as a cross and tie a knot at the cross-point,
> then
> > place this under the pudding basin and bring the four ends up and over
> the
> > basin and tie loosely at the top to form a handle that you can use to
> > lower and raise the basin out of pan of boiling water.
> >
> > simon
> >
> > 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?
> >> - We will have to buy a pudding basin as we don't have anything that
> will
> >> substitute. There are ceramic and metal (plain and non-stick) versions
> --
> >> some with lids. Will the choice of vessel impact the final product?
> >> - Any other advice with making steamed puddings? We are practicing our
> >> recipe this weekend.
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance!
> >>
> >> Peace, Rick
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Simon Kershaw
> > simon at kershaw.org.uk
> > Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire
> >
>
>