MARTHA STEWART'S CRANBERRY STEAMED PUDDING

Steps:

• Steam your pudding in a deep pot with a tight-fitting lid, so that the steam has room to circulate.
• Keep a kettle of hot water on hand to refill the pot if necessary.
• Do not allow the pudding to cool much longer than fifteen minutes, or you may have trouble removing it from the mold.
• Generously butter a 7 1/2-cup steam-pudding mold, and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, 1/4 cup kirsch, and cinnamon stick.
• Set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cranberries break down and mixture thickens.
• Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick, and cool.
• Evenly spread 1/2 cup of the cooled cranberry mixture onto the bottom of the pudding mold, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare the hot-water bath: Fill a large, 11-by-5 1/4-inch pot one-third full with water.
• Set over high heat, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep at a simmer until pudding is ready to cook.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy, about four minutes.
• Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, mixing until completely blended.
• In three additions, alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and blending well after each addition.
• Add dried cranberries and the remaining cranberry mixture to the batter, and mix until well blended.
• Pour batter into pudding mold to within 1/2 an inch of the top, and cover mold tightly with its lid (if the mold doesn't have a lid, cover with a round of parchment paper and then aluminum foil, and secure with a rubber band).
• Submerge a folded dish towel or a round sack onto the bottom of the large water-bath pot.
• Place the pudding mold into the water bath, resting on the towel, so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the mold.
• Cover the water bath, and gently simmer the pudding for about 2 hours and 20 minutes, or until pudding has set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Remove pudding mold from the water bath and cool 15 minutes on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, pour cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons kirsch and sifted confectioners’ sugar.
• Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Unmold pudding onto a serving platter.
• Serve with kirsch-flavored whipped cream.