I use my electric skillet to steam puddings. It's one of the few things I use it for, but it's really easy to check the water level and so on. I use one of those vegetable steamer things that open up like a flower for steaming in a pot and folds up for storage, to hold the pudding out of the water. Here's my family recipe for plum pudding:

1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 2 teaspoons baking powder, or a pinch more
1 1/2 cups suet, coarsely chopped (this helps to find and remove the connecting membranes)
1 1/2 cups TOTAL of raisins, nuts and what-you-will
1 small shake salt   Enough water to hold together.

Tie loosely in cheesecloth or white muslin. Steam slowly at a low temperature on a trivet until it is bready, darkened, and the fruit sticks out.

SAUCE: The pudding drippings, flour-and-water, butter, and sugar. This will be a bit thin, but tasty.

My mother served this every Thanksgiving, and my paternal grandmother always asked for the recipe. My mother never gave it, because her mother-in-law would probably have turned green at the thought of eating suet. I don't know about this, my grandmother knew that lard made the best pie crusts, but there you have it.


And now for another pudding recipe, from A Vermont Cookbook, by Vermont Cooks, first edition, 1946

Steamed Thrift Pudding

2 cups bread crumbs   1 cup molasses   1 cup hot water   1 cup flour
1 cup raisins   1 whole egg   
1 teaspoon each baking soda, cloves, and cinnamon   
1 Tablespoon shortening

Sift soda and spices with flour. Pour molasses and hot water over crumbs and let stand until cool. Add other ingredients and stir well. Put into a greased tubed pan or pound tin cans (I use a loaf pan) and steam three hours. Serve with any hot sauce (sic)(you know we're not talking habaneros here, so stop giggling), or a hard sauce.

This tastes like a dark, rich gingerbread, and can be sliced and eaten cold, as well as warm with sauce.