[Magdalen] Cooking advice - steamed pudding

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Internet source-
Various Sugars. Granulated sugar = everyday table sugar; Caster sugar = superfine sugar = bakers' sugar; Confectioners' sugar = icing sugar.

On Jan 26, 2018, at 10:41 AM, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:

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
>> 
> 
>