Mistake With Christmas Pudding

Asked by ltompsonny. Answered on 30th November 2013

Full question

I have steamed my Ultimate Christmas Pudding and I think I made a mistake! I put the vodka in the pudding. The recipe said put the remaining pudding ingredients into the mixing bowl, and vodka was on the list, so in it went! While the pudding is cooking, I read through the rest of the instructions to be super prepared for Christmas day and discovered that vodka goes over the top of the pudding! Do you think my pudding will be ok?

Our answer

The 125ml (1/2 cup) vodka in Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding recipe (from Christmas and on the Nigella Website) is used for flaming the pudding on Christmas day. It has a high alcohol content so it burns particularly well, though you can use otherliquors if you prefer.

If you have added the vodka to the pudding we suspect it will still be OK. Vodka is fairly flavourless and most of the alcohol should evaporate during the cooking process. If you are concerned then we suggest that you unwrap the pudding. take out a tablespoonful from the pudding (remember that the current top of the pudding will be the bottom when you turn it out so no-one will notice if you remove a spoonful) and heat this in a microwave for a few seconds until hot. let the sample cool slightly and then taste it and see if you like it. Re-wrap the pudding tightly if you decide that you will keep it.

We would also suggest that any recipe should be read all the way through before you start cooking.