Frozen Christmas Pudding

This is a wonderful alternative to a traditional hot Christmas pudding, ideal for warm climates. It’s also a great way to help charities – buy one of their puddings and transform it!

Servings: 10
Preparation Time: 25 minutesplus 15 mins standing time + overnight freezing
Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:
½ cup Christmas dried and glace fruits of choice, chopped e.g. craisins, raisins, sultanas, glace pineapple, fig, ginger and cherries
2 tablespoons (40ml) brandy
2  litres good quality vanilla ice-cream, softened
1 Christmas pudding (approx. 800g)
1 cup (140g) Vienna almonds, chopped coarsely
360g white chocolate, melted
Fresh cherries or berries  to decorate
Icing sugar for dusting

1. Combine the fruit and brandy in a microwave safe container, cover and heat on high for 2 minutes. Allow to stand for another 15 mins.
2. Remove ice-cream from freezer and scoop into a large bowl so it will soften evenly. Line a 2 Litre (8 cup) pudding basin with plastic wrap, leaving 5cm or so extending over the edge of the basin.
3. Crumble pudding into the softened ice-cream and mix through with Vienna almonds and fruit.  Place into the prepared pudding basin. Cover with foil and freeze overnight.
4. Turn the ice-cream pudding onto a tray, remove the plastic wrap. Measure the outside diameter of the pudding from one side up and over to the other, then return to the freezer.
5. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap out flat making sure it is bigger than the outside measurement of the pudding – it will probably be about 40cm. Spread the chocolate in a circle over the plastic wrap. Remove the pudding from the freezer, quickly drape plastic, chocolate-side down, over the pudding. Quickly smooth the pudding with hands. Freeze for a few minutes or until firm.
6. Gently peel away plastic and carefully transfer the pudding to a serving plate using a chefs’ knife and large egg slide. Decorate with cherries and dust with sifted icing sugar.