Rae Goforth puts Martha Stewart to shame as she demonstrates her famous plum pudding recipe in the Flavel House kitchen Nov. 18.

“It’s not pudding and it doesn’t have plums!” says Sam Rascoe.

But plum pudding is so festive and delicious that it has become a holiday tradition at the Flavel House Museum, says Rascoe, a spokesman for the Clatsop County Historical Society. “It’s popular. Many people look forward to it every year. It’s a chance to relax for a moment in the middle of your shopping day and a nice time to visit with friends and enjoy the surroundings.”

The elegant Victorian mansion, built in 1885 by Astoria’s first millionaire, Capt. George Flavel, is decked out for the holidays, with garlands and ribbons inside and live greenery on the outside. The plum pudding is served by volunteers clad in ruffled blouses, long skirts and aprons, with their hair tied back. It comes on china plates, with lemon sauce, whipped cream and a decorative holly leaf. Dozens of china tea cups donated to the historical society over the years hold the tea.

Many of the servers are young people. This is the third year for Jasmine Ward, 12, who has been serving plum pudding since she was 10. Alicia Lundberg, now a high school music teacher in Washington state, also started when she was 10 years old. That’s because her grandmother, Rae Goforth, is the one who started the tea and plum pudding event as a fundraiser about 15 years ago when she was a member of the historical society’s board of directors.

“It’s a really nice experience. Some families come every year and some of the little boys show up wearing ties,” says Goforth, who has been making and serving plum pudding every year since then. She starts the Herculean task each year in late September.

Using five special kettles that look like bundt pans with tight-fitting lids, Goforth makes 40 puddings, five at a time, for eight days straight. Each yields 12 servings. “I turn my kitchen into a little assembly line,” says Goforth. She wraps the puddings in waxed paper and aluminum foil and stores them in her freezer until the holiday rolls around. She says the time in the freezer blends the flavors, so the pudding tastes even better.

Goforth does a demonstration every year in November so others can learn to make the traditional Christmas treat. The special kettle is for sale at the Carriage House gift shop on Exchange Street behind the Flavel House. It includes her special recipe.

Adapted by Rae Goforth

Traditional holiday spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon make plum pudding a Yuletide treat.You must have a special kettle with a lid that snaps down ($21.95 at the Carriage House gift shop).

Cream the following ingredients in a mixer:

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg

Stir together dry ingredients in a separate bowl:

Visitors at the plum pudding demonstration get to see (and taste) the various ingredients.1 cup flour

1 cup white bread crumbs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup walnuts – broken in half, not chopped

1 1/2 cups raisins

Measure 3/4 cup of warm water.

Add half of water to egg mixture, then add dry ingredients to mixture alternately with water until all are mixed. Batter will be thick. Do not overbeat.

Fingers are the best tools for breaking up the walnuts and separating the raisins.Grease kettle well and put the batter in. Seal the lid and cook for 3 hours in oven at 250 degrees. Take kettle out , loosen lid and let stand for 10 minutes. Turn kettle upside down and pudding should fall out. (If desired, pudding may be carefully wrapped and frozen for future use.

Serve with lemon pie filling that has been reduced with rum or hot water, a dab of whipped cream and a cherry, with a holly leaf for decoration.

Rae Goforth explains the traditions associated with plum pudding as she stirs the batter.

Goforth serves a slice of freshly baked plum pudding to visitors at her cooking demonstration Nov. 18.