Hard Tack Figgy-dowdy is a traditional English recipe (dating back to Gerogian/Regency times) for a classic ship-board dessert of of a dough made from hard-tack ship's biscuits, pork fat, sugar, fruit, spices, rum and water and which is boiled in a cloth and served sliced with custard. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: Hard Tack Figgy-dowdy.
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This is a naval pudding and a distant relation of both Plum Duff and Spotted Dick. This is a more authentic version made with ship's biscuits (hard tack), dried fruit, unrendered pork fat and rum that's boiled in a cloth. For the less adventurous, a modernized version is given in the figgy-dowdy recipe.
Combine the raisins and sultanas in a bowl, pour over the water and rum then set aside to soak and plump up over night.
The following day, either grind the biscuits in a blender or pound in a mortar until they are rendered down into a fine flour-like powder. Remove any meat from the pork fat then chop the fat as finely as you can (think shredded suet). Now combine the biscuit flour, fat, ginger and mixed spice in a bowl. Strain the fruit (reserve the soaking liquid) and add them to the dry ingredients. Stir thoroughly to combine then gradually work in the fruit soaking liquid until the mixture comes together as a stiff dough.
Turn the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and roll into a ball. Take a piece of muslin or cheese cloth. Double it up and flour it well. Sit the pudding in the centre then gather up the edges. Tie the top securely with string (allow a little room for expansion).
Bring a large pan of water to a boil and place the pudding in this (use the string to hag the pudding so it does not touch the bottom of the pot, or it will burn). Return to a simmer and cook for about 150 minutes, or until the pudding is done through (top-up the water with more boiling water regularly to ensure the pan does not boil dry).
When cooked, remove the pudding from the steamer, unwrap and cut into thick slices. Serve hot, accompanied by custard.
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