Little Fruit Puddings with Creme Anglaise

These wonderful little fruit puddings with a super-fast Creme Anglaise, that can be made in advance, are a real winner to finish a Christmas-themed dinner.

I love a traditional Christmas pudding, and always make a spare one in December to enjoy in July, but I know that there are lots of people who would choose something lighter and more refreshing for our summertime Christmas.

These lovely light individual fruit puddings are the perfect choice for an alternative Christmas Pudding.

Microwave Creme Anglaise

Ingredients

The Puddings

• 500g mixed dried fruits
• 2/3rd cup dark rum
• 125g soft brown sugar
• 125g butter, softened
• grated rind of 1 orange
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 60g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 30g slivered almonds, chopped
• 30g carrot, grated ( about 1 small carrot)
• 60g soft white breadcrumb

Microwave Creme Anglaise

• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup full-cream milk
• 4 x 60g egg yolks
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp custard powder or cornflour

Method

The Puddings

1. Soak the mixed fruits in the rum overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in an electric mixer, add the orange rind. Add the beaten eggs. Sift the flour with the mixed spice, ginger and cinnamon and fold onto the butter mix.
4. Fold in the mixed fruit, almonds, carrot and breadcrumbs.
5. Butter the sides, and line the base of small timbale moulds with baking paper.
6. Spoon the mixture in to the moulds to filling to 3/4 full.
7. Place the moulds in a baking dish lined with a disposable kitchen cloth to stop them moving around.
8. Fill the baking dish to halfway up the sides of the moulds with hot water.
9. Cover tightly with a large piece of foil that has been buttered on the underside to stop the tops of the puddings from sticking.
10. Cook for 1 hour.

Microwave Creme Anglaise

1. Scald the milk and cream in a heatproof glass jug, microwave on High for 3 minutes.
2. Cream the egg yolks and sugar in a 2 litre heatproof glass bowl, add 1/2 cup of the scalded milk, beat well.
3. Add the remaining milk and cream mix to the egg mixture and combine well.
4. Cook the mixture on High for 1 minute, whisk.
5. Then cook the mixture 3 times for 30 seconds each time, whisking after each 30 seconds.
6. After removing the custard from the microwave, add the vanilla extract, or Rum if you prefer, and continue to whisk for 2 minutes.
7. To stop a skin forming on the custard while it cools, place some clingwrap directly on the surface of the custard.
8. When cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.

Notes

Make these puddings a day ahead and re-heat in the microwave when ready to serve. Unmould the puddings and place directly on the microwave turntable Sprinkle with a little water and cook on High (6 puddings at a time) for 2 minutes or until warmed through.

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