Our family's plum pudding 1992, i/ii

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02
  
       Title: Our Family's Plum Pudding 1992, I/II
  Categories: British, Christmas, Desserts, Fruits, Harned 1994
       Yield: 1 batch
  
       2 c  Currants (1/2 pound)
            -- loosely packed
   1 1/2 c  Golden and/or muscat raisins
            -- (1/2 pound)
   1 1/2 c  Candied fruit peels
     1/4 c  Cognac
       2 c  English walnuts (1/2 pound)
            -- finely chopped
       2 c  Good beef suet (1/2 pound)
            -- ground by butcher
       1 c  Sifted flour
       1 ts Baking soda
     1/2 ts Salt
       1 ts Cinnamon
     1/2 ts Mace
     1/2 ts Nutmeg
     1/2 c  Blackberry jam or preserves
       1 c  Brown sugar
       5 c  Loosely packed fresh bread
            -crumbs
            -- from homemade-type bread
     1/2 c  Dry cocktail sherry
       6    Egg yolks; well beaten
       6    Egg whites; beaten stiff
            -- but not dry
 
 MMMMM-------------------------FOR MOLDS------------------------------
       3    To 4 tb. soft butter
            Brown sugar or flour
            Candied red cherries (opt.)
            -- for bottom of molds
            Additional brandy or other
            -liquor
            -- for ripening pudding
 
 MMMMM-------------------------HARD SAUCE------------------------------
     1/2 c  Butter; softened
   2 1/2 c  Sifted confectioners' sugar
       1 tb Brandy
            Few drops cream; if needed
 
 MMMMM--------------------------GARNISH-------------------------------
            Holly sprigs
            Candied fruit or angelica
            Brandy
  
   Combine the dried fruits and peels in a large bowl and sprinkle with
   cognac.  Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight (or longer - in
   which case you may want to add more cognac).
   
   To the fruits in the large bowl, add nuts and suet.  Resift flour
   with the baking soda, salt and spices; then sift over the fruit
   mixture while tossing and mixing with a wooden spoon to evenly
   distribute the dry ingredients.  Stir in jam and brown sugar.
   
   Prepare the bread crumbs (use the food processor, removing crusts
   first if they are crusty and hard).  Sprinkle bread crumbs into the
   sherry, mixing with a fork.  Add to the fruit mixture.
   
   Add the beaten egg yolks; mix thoroughly.  Last, fold in beaten egg
   whites.
   
   Prepare two pudding molds.  This recipe makes enough for one 2-quart
   mold, and the remainder can be steamed in a coffee can - a 26-ounce
   can makes a round pudding about 3" tall.  (You could make one huge
   pudding if you have a container.)
   
   Grease molds with butter and then sprinkle them with sugar or dust
   with flour.  Arrange candied cherries in molds, if desired (cherries
   should be dusted with flour).  Fill 2-quart mold no more than 2/3
   full with batter. Cover pudding mold with its lid, fasten with clamps
   or tie on securely.
   
   For the coffee can, cover with its plastic lid, tie it on and wrap all
   with aluminum foil.  (The plastic will split.)  For a bowl without a
   lid, cover the top with layered waxed paper tied down securely, then
   do the same with aluminum foil.
   
   (Continued)
  
 MMMMM