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Steak, kidney and oyster pudding

As a young chef, Raymond Blanc taught himself English by reading the works of great cookery writers such as Constance Spry and Jane Grigson. When he came across a recipe for this classic dish, he was horrified. “It seemed heavy, wasteful and odd,” he says. However, when he cooked it himself he was delighted. “It was glorious, quite magnificent; I ate the whole pudding myself”. Serves 4-6

Equipment and preparation: You will need a 1.8 litre/3 pint pudding basin.

For the suet dough
300g/11oz self-raising flour
2 pinches sea salt
150g/5oz suet
about 200ml/7fl oz cold water
For the filling
150ml/5fl oz red wine
150ml/5fl oz brown chicken stock
700g/1lb 8oz rump steak, cut into 3cm/1in cubes
300g/11oz ox or calves’ kidney, cut into 3cm/1in cubes and soaked (see Top recipe tip below)
4 pinches sea salt
4 pinches freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp plain flour
1 medium onion, sliced
180g/6oz field mushrooms, sliced
12 oysters, shucked, with about 100ml/4fl oz juice (optional)

For the suet dough, place the flour, salt and suet in a large bowl, mix them together, then stir in enough water to make a firm dough. Add more water or flour as needed to achieve the right consistency.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and roll out a large circle about 0.5cm/¼in thick. Cut a quarter segment out of the circle, set it to one side and use the remaining dough to line a buttered 1800ml/3 pint pudding basin, allowing a generous overhang at the rim. Press firmly along the seam to ensure a good seal.

For the filling, put the wine in a small pan and boil until the volume of liquid has reduced by a third - this will remove the bitterness of the alcohol and leave the intense fruitiness of the wine. Add the chicken stock to the wine.

Place the steak and kidney in a large bowl and season with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the flour and toss to coat the meat.

Add the onions and mushrooms to the bowl and mix well with the meat.

Layer the meat mixture with the oysters into the pudding basin, ensuring the filling is tightly packed.

Mix the oyster juices with the wine and stock and pour into the pudding until it almost covers the filling.

Roll out the reserved dough to make a lid, place it on top of the pudding and fold the overhanging dough over, using a little water to act as glue. Press along the join to make a tight seal.

Cover the pudding loosely with tin foil, leaving room for the pudding to rise slightly, and tie the foil to the basin with string, making a looped handle as you do so.

Place the pudding in a steamer, or on an upturned saucer in a large saucepan of simmering water loosely covered with a lid, and steam for exactly five hours. Add more boiling water to the pan during cooking as needed to prevent the pan from boiling dry.

Serve the pudding straight from the basin; it is best served with thick chips and marrowfat peas.

Tip

Soak the kidneys in 500ml/9fl oz water, 500ml/9fl oz milk and one teaspoon of salt for three hours to draw out the bitterness. Drain well before using. If you don’t care for offal, this is just as good made only with steak – use 1kg/2lb 4oz total weight.