I once worked in a hotel as a waitress; as well as our wages we were gen meals after service. They were very good, as I remember, and the one dish which was my favourite was cabinet pudding. It’s a traditional pud, also known as chancellor’s pudding… although which chancellor liked it I have no idea… however, it is at least two hundred years old – yes, 200! The first chancellor I can find was Sir Richard Sackville who held the office from 1559 to 1566…
Here is a recipe…
Cabinet pudding
- 7 oz dried fruit and candied peel
- 4 sponge cakes
- 1 oz of ratafia biscuits
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 16 fl oz single cream
- the zest of ½ a lemon
- 1 tbsp rum or brandy
- Optional jam or jam sauce made with 3 tbsp apricot or raspberry jam, cold water, 1 tsp lemon juice
- cream the eggs, sugar and cornflour together making sure they are really well mixed
- heat the cream and lemon zest but don’t boil
- pour the cream onto the egg and sugar mixture and stir really, really well
- add the brandy or rum
- pour over the broken up cakes and biscuits and the fruit
- pour into a greased and lined souffle dish and let it all soak for about 15 minutes
- cover the dish with foil and secure it with string like you might do for any other steamed pudding
- steam over simmering water or in a steamer for an hour
- it needs to stand for a few minutes to settle before you turn it out
Lois Elsden 