Fanny Longfellow's "Hunting Pudding"

Duration:

6 minutes, 24 seconds

Kate, Archives Specialist, attempts to make "Hunting Pudding" - a version of Victorian Plum Pudding or Christmas Pudding - from Fanny Longfellow's book of recipes.

In 1843, the Longfellows' Christmas dinner included: “Boiled mutton, roast turkey, a pair of delicious Canvass Backs [ducks]... plum pudding & mince pie of course” [emphasis added]. Along with the various meat options, plum pudding was one of the defining holiday staples. Noted for its longevity (largely due to its alcohol content), at least one English Plum Pudding made an international trip to the Longfellows' table, sent from London with "sundry books, ... Yorkshire pie and two bottles of the "Queen's Whiskey.""

"When the lovely plum-pudding was carried in by little Slatie, they fairly yelled with delight. Here ends the adventures of the Huzzy family on Thanksgiving Day." R. H. Dana Jr.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Dana Papers, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters NHS

The tradition seems to have continued through generations of the Longfellow family, as indicated by the illustrations of plum puddings - on platters with brandy alight - in the Thanksgiving and Christmas "Numbers" of periodicals produced by the Longfellow grandchildren.

Frances Elizabeth Appleton Longfellow Papers, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters NHS

The Historic Recipe

This recipe comes from a manuscript book of lists of household goods & recipes kept by Fanny Longfellow from around her marriage in 1843 to 1858. The volume today is part of her papers at Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters NHS.

The original recipe, in Fanny Longfellow's handwriting, reads:

8 eggs well beaten with a pt of Cream;
1 lb Flour;
1 lb Beef suet chopped very fine;
1 lb Curants [sic];
½ lb of Raisins stoned + chopped fine;
½ lb of powdered sugar;
1 large Nutmeg
Mix all together with gile of brandy; put in a cloth, tie it tight & boil it 4 hours.

The list of ingredients is very straightforward. Depending on your grocery store, beef suet may be hard to find. The currants and raisins in the recipe alllow for a little interpretation by preference - the Victorians used "raisin" as a general term for a variety of dried fruits. The recipe, however, assumes that the cook is familiar with the method for boiling a pudding in a cloth. Though Christmas puddings are still a British holiday tradition, today's tend to be steamed in purpose-made pudding basins rather than boiled in cloth. Fortunately for today's cook, the cloth technique is documented in a number of historic cookbooks - and swapping in a basin is a reasonable option!

NPS Photo

Hunting Pudding

A dense, fruity Christmas classic.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Yield: 1 large or 2 medium puddings

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 pint cream
• 1 lb flour
• 1 lb beef suet (or substitute butter)
• 1 1/2 lbs dried fruit in small pieces - we used 1 lb raisins and 1/2 lb chopped prunes
• 1/2 lb powdered sugar
• 1 large nutmeg, grated
• 4 oz brandy

Instructions:

Chop beef suet or butter very fine or grate into small pieces. Beat the eggs, add cream and beat well. Add flour and suet or butter and stir. Mix in fruits, sugar, spices, and brandy.

Set a large pot of water to boil. There should be enough water to cover at least half of your wrapped pudding or pudding basin. Set a plate or small ramekin upside down in the bottom of the pot.

To use a pudding basin or bowl: Use the largest basin or glass bowl that will fit in your pot. Grease the basin and add the pudding mixture. Cover the top with a circle of baking parchment. Over the top, place a sheet of foil, with a pleat across it to allow room for expansion. With kitchen twine, tie the foil around the lip of the bowl and cross it over the top to create a handle.

To use a pudding cloth: Good luck! Grease and well-flour a tea-towel or muslin cloth. Lay it in a bowl and add the pudding mixture. Pull the four corners of the cloth together and tie it tightly with kitchen twine. Shape the pudding into the round "cannonball" shape.

Lower the pudding basin or wrapped pudding into the boiling water, cover, and let boil for four hours. If needed, add boiling water to keep the level at least halfway over the pudding. After four hours, carefully remove the pudding from the pot. Either serve immediately or allow it to age (refrigerated in an airtight container). To reheat for serving, boil 1 hour.