Hands down the most loved fruit pudding in the United States is banana pudding. A down home, rich concoction made with, slices of ripe bananas, and vanilla wafers, layered between mounds of custard, kissed with a hint of vanilla extract. Other thoughts of fruit puddings tend to run towards the instant variety dolled up with fresh or canned fruits. Historically fruit puddings stem from a Victorian tradition. These desserts were steamed or boiled and filled with raisins, other dried fruits, spices and liquor.

Old World Favorites

Plum Pudding or Christmas pudding actually doesn’t contain any plums. Historians say years ago the words plum and raisin were interchangeable. This traditional dessert also contained suet (fat) for a delicate balance of flavor and texture, along with the raisins, and a healthy dose of brandy. Plum pudding was a long labor of love as it took five to eight hours to boil or steam in tin molds or boiling bags. A perfect accoutrement to these would be an ice-cream, a hard sauce or a flaming presentation of ignited brandy or rum.

Modern cooks fined tuned the traditional recipes and came up with additional cooking methods. There are four different cooking techniques for fruit pudding.

Steamed -Mixed ingredients are poured into an oiled mold, and then steamed on top of the stove over low heat for several hours.
Baked - Ingredients are poured into a prepared container, placed in a larger container of hot or boiling water called a water bath and then baked in an oven until done.
Boiled - Pudding mixture is constantly stirred until thickened over heat.
Chilled - Pudding made from a dry mix and a liquid, usually milk, mixed until slightly thickened and chilled in the refrigerator until set.

In the same Category
Today’s puddings are more of a soft thick dessert. Included are flans and custards. Some recipes that have the name “fruit pudding”, striking resemblances to cakes. There are combinations of fruit, and batter, surrounded by a water bath and baked until the batter is set. While others only have fruit flavorings or extract laced into a batter that is baked until it soft set or of pudding like consistency. The closest recipes to the old school variety use prepared sponge, angel food cake, or stale bread as a base or layering ingredient to encase fresh or stewed fruits. Whipped cream or sauces are served on the side. Sweet tales and sweet traditions to satisfy your sweet tooth. Check out this healthy version of a fruit bread pudding.

Fruit Bread Pudding

If you want to jazz this recipe up for the holidays, add about ¼ cup chopped pecans. Reduce the milk by 3 TBS and replace it with rum or brandy. It will be a few more calories, so just plan to work out 20 minutes more that day.

4 cups cubed wheat bread (about 4 slices)
½ cup dried fruit
1 ½ cups skim milk
½ cup egg beaters
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp nutmeg

• Prepare a 1 ½ qt casserole dish with nonstick spray, and preheat oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl combine bread and dried fruit. If you’re not a dried fruit fan, use raisins. Don’t like raisins? You may want to skip this recipe.
  
  
• In a small bowl blend the milk, egg product,( substitute 2 egg whites and 1 whole egg) sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and fruit. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 6 servings at 160 calories each.