Christmas pudding

The essential accompaniments

And finally, the accompaniments, for what would Christmas pudding be without a spoonful of brandy butter or a ladle of rum sauce? These can be bought ready-made, but they're easy to make, can be done in advance and will compliment the effort put into the pudding itself.

Brandy Butter
To serve with Christmas pudding
Ingredients
225g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
225g golden caster sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
4 tbsp brandy

Preparation
1. Use an electric whisk to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the orange zest and brandy and mix well.
3. Spoon into a bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Rum Sauce
To serve with Christmas pudding
Ingredients
75g butter
60g plain flour
575ml full fat milk
50g caster sugar
3-4 tbsp dark rum
1 tbsp double cream

Preparation
1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook gently for one minute. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
2. Add the milk a little at a time, stirring continuously to incorporate into the roux. Return to the heat and bring slowly to the boil, stirring all the time. Simmer gently for two minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and rum, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the cream.

Chat to Cooking coach Terry Farris about Christmas puddings and more on the Quick & Easy Cooking message board.

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