It’s Christmas Eve and, because we’re hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow, there’s a mad panic in our household to prepare all the food.

One of the lovely family traditions that we all look forward to is the Christmas pudding. After dinner has been cleared away, the lights in the dining room are dimmed and out comes the Christmas pudding—the showpiece of the desserts, with its glowing purple flame.

Yes, a flaming Christmas pudding. Just before serving, Dad gently heats a couple of tablespoons of brandy and pours it over the Christmas pudding. The pudding absorbs the brandy and Dad then lights it. The flame doesn’t last long but it’s enough to heat the pudding through.

The warm pudding is then sliced and served with old-fashioned hard sauce (or brandy butter), which melts into the pudding and adds sweetness to the rich fruity flavour. Yum…I can’t wait for tomorrow!

Hard sauce is a delicious sweeter alternative to ice cream, custard or cream, and definitely our family favourite.

Hard sauce (brandy butter)
125g unsalted butter
2 cups icing sugar
1½ tbs brandy

Cream the butter with electric beaters until it’s white and creamy. Add the sifted sugar and brandy and cream until you have a thick smooth paste. Spoon into a serving bowl, cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until set.