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1
The night before stirring up the pudding, combine the candied fruit, nuts, raisins, currants, dates, dates/dried fruits, lemon peel and orange peel.
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2
Pour 1/2 cup rum over the top of the mixture. Cover and let it soak overnight.
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3
Add apple, carrot, beef suet, flour, bread crumbs, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, and allspice.
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4
Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
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5
Whisk together the eggs, fruit juice and 1/4 cup rum in a small bowl. Pour over the fruit/flour mixture, and mix lightly until all ingredients are moistened.
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6
Spoon into two buttered pudding molds. Cover top of each pudding with buttered foil.
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7
Cover top of each pudding mold with a cloth dish towel. Tie the cloth tightly to the top using a loop of kitchen twine.
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8
Place puddings in steamers and steam for 6 hours.
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9
Remove from steamers and store in a cool place until Christmas Day or New Years' Day.
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10
Return the pudding to the steamer and steam for 2 hours more.
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11
To make hard sauce, combined butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons rum to make a thick paste. Chill 1 hour.
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12
Form the hard sauce into a two balls (one for each pudding) and wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator until ready to serve the pudding.
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13
To serve the pudding, place the hard sauce ball on the pudding, and stick the holly sprig through it to anchor it to the top of the pudding.
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14
Pour warm 2 tbsp rum over the pudding, and touch the surface with a lighted match to flame the pudding. Carry it flaming to the table while everyone cheers.
