Recipe method

Mix all of the dried fruit together in a bowl. Add the brandy and stir, mixing well together. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave on the counter overnight to macerate. The next day bruht a 1 litre pudding basin (5 cup) well with melted butter and place a round of baking paper in the bottom. Set aside. Cream the butter, sugar and orange zest together until light and fluffy in a large bowl. Beat in the egg. Stir together both flours, nuts, spices and bread crumbs. Add the macerated fruit and stir together to combine. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture combining well together. Spoon into the prepared pudding basin, pressing it down to compact, smoothing the top withthe back of a wooden spoon. Tap on the counter several times to remove any air holes. Place a large sheet of tinfoil on the counter. Top it with an equal sized piece of baking paper. Butter the paper. Make a pleat in the centre of both sheets together. Wrap them over top of the pudding, leaving room for expansion. Secure tightly with either a rubber band or kitchen string. Place a small heat proof trivet in the bottom of a large saucepan (with a tight fitting lid). Lower the pudding into the saucepan, placing it on top of the trivet. Fill the saucepan with enough boiling water to come 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, topping up as necessary with boiling water. Do NOT let it boil dry. At the end of that time, carefully fremove it from the saucepan. Leave to cool overnight. The next day remove and discard the messy wrappings and rewrap in some clean baking paper, foil and string. Store in a cool dark and dry place until Christmas. On Christmas Day, boil or oven steam (in the container) for about an hour until heated through. Unwrap and turn out onto a serving plate. Serve with your favourite sauces. (You can serve it with Brandy Butter, Brown Sugar Sauce, Cream, Custard, etc.)