Ellie’s Christmas Pudding Chronicles: Making the Solid Sauce
We’ve reached part five of my Christmas Pudding Chronicles and week four of a boozy English flan fit for a Christmas flambé. For those just starting out, you can read about where this fig pudding series started , how to make the cake , how to “cure” it , and a bit about the history of aging desserts (sometimes in animal stomachs) in these posts here. It’s the last week before the big Christmas pageant, so today is a great day for another steeping of brandy and making the ‘hard sauce’.
For God’s sake, feed the pudding.
At this moment, I feel like I’m taking care of a little companion from the closet. I keep it in the cupboard where I store pots and pans, so we check it every day. Every time I go to get a frying pan from the cupboard, we make eye contact, quickly nod at each other, and I close the door. Today is “feeding” day, so Lil’ Pad can go out and get sustenance in the form of brandy. Soaking the cake once a week with a tablespoon or two of brandy is a traditional but optional part of the Christmas pudding tradition. I wanted the full experience, so I agreed.
I’ve tried applying brandy with a pastry brush, a spritzer, and this week with a turkey baster. I was tempted to stick the tip straight into the brandy bottle, but something about it didn’t seem right, and I couldn’t measure it because my tip doesn’t have that feature. Instead, I measured a tablespoon and a half into a bowl and poured it from there. The turkey baster was satisfying for precision application, but unless an interesting option makes it into the comments section here, I’ll go back to the cookie brush; it’s the easiest way to get the job done quickly and easily.
After drinking the brandy, I thought to myself, “Okay, let’s get you dressed,” and put the Christmas pudding back on. Now I know that I can never become a livestock farmer. I’ve already named a four week old fruit cake and when harvest day comes I just don’t know how I’ll feel about it.
What the hell is “hard sauce”?
Solid sauce is a traditional accompaniment to fig pudding, but is more accurately called brandy butter. “Solid sauce” is more of a mystery since sauces are supposed to flow, but it turns out it’s essentially a brandy buttercream frosting. I imagine it would be difficult if it was in the refrigerator. Was I expecting something more dynamic? Yes. However, I got over my disappointment once I tried it.
How to make brandy oil
Just like American-style buttercream, you only need a few ingredients: butter, sugar and flavoring. I decided to use Mary Berry’s brandy butter recipe because she is another of my favorite English chefs (along with Nigella, whose Christmas pudding recipe I used as a guide) and she is perhaps the only lady I trust to feed me.
I took one liberty with her recipe. Mary Berry uses unsalted butter, but since it’s a cake-spreading condiment, I think we’d be selling ourselves short without salt. Salted butter works great for the frosting, but if you don’t have it, add a quarter teaspoon of salt to the mixture.
If mixing by hand, use soft butter; it should be the consistency of mayonnaise. Add sugar and stir with a rubber spatula. Berry’s recipe calls for light muscovado sugar, but if you can’t get it, light or dark brown sugar will work. Add brandy and whisk until emulsified. If your emulsion breaks or looks grainy, it may be too cold. This could also be a sign that there is too much brandy. If it’s too cold, try putting it in the microwave for just a few seconds. Don’t press start and walk away. Beat again. If brandy is the culprit, add another tablespoon of caster sugar and whisk it well.
The end result is sweet and buttery with caramel notes from the brandy and makes me really want to spread it on a warm slice of fruit cake. Although you can taste the liquor, it is surprisingly tasteless, despite what appears to be a lot of alcohol at first glance. Store this brandy oil at room temperature if you plan to flambé it within a week; This will make it easier to spread on the cake. Otherwise, store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. On the morning you plan to use it, let it warm up to room temperature. Of course, enjoy brandy butter with your Christmas pudding, but you can spread it on muffins, toast, cookies or any other carb you want to make boozy and sweet.
The final part of this series will be released next week. I will be re-steaming, flambéing and baking a piece of fig pudding. Check back next week for Lil’ Pad’s big day.
Brandy Butter Recipe
(Adapted from Mary Berry’s recipe )
Ingredients:
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1 stick salted butter, soft
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⅔ cup (3 ounces) powdered sugar
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⅓ cup packed (3 ounces) brown sugar
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3 tablespoons brandy
In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and both sugars with a rubber spatula until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add brandy. Once the brandy is absorbed, switch to the whisk to thoroughly emulsify the glaze.