What the hell IS figgy pudding anyways?!
This was driving me nuts so I did what any good journalist would do and googled it. It turns out that figgy pudding is actually more of a steamed cake than a custard and takes more than three hours to cook. I guess those guests are planning to stay awhile… Figgy pudding is an English dessert recipe that was developed in the fifteenth century and was a popular Christmas menu item. The name is misleading though as figgy pudding may or may NOT contain figs and was often times made with carrots instead. Several variations of the ancient recipe exist but a common element is the steaming method used to cook it. Typically, the batter would be put into a cast-iron kettle that was then placed inside a bigger kettle with a cushion of water between the two (think bain-marie). Then, both kettles were covered tightly with a cloth soaked in creme and placed over a low fire to cook. The cloth would have to be splashed with creme at regular intervals to avoid scorching and the fire would have to be ju
