Could you use pasteurized eggs? It's probably not a big deal unless someone pregnant or a person with immune issues eats it. I wouldn't but lots do.

I made the recipe posted by rusty_ns for T&T Steamed Christmas Pudding two days ago. It's GONE! Wonderful.... I'm making it again tomorrow for more holiday friends! For a bit of background, some time ago I spoke with my 80 y.o. mother and asked if there was anything she had not had in a long time that she'd like to have me make for her. She very quickly responded "My mother's carrot pudding." After considerable discussion with my mother, I did exhaustive web searches and finally came upon this recipe, which seems to be exactly the recipe my grandmother made for my mother and my mother's grandfather. The joke was that the grandfather absolutely hated carrots but loved the pudding (nobody ever told him it contained carrots!)... My mother had not had this dish in over 60 years, since her mother passed away (unfortunately, I never knew her). The most difficult part was locating suet. I secured some and easily made this recipe. It was extraordinarily delicious and rich!!!!!!! I thought my mother was levitating when she first tasted it. She said it was EXACTLY what she remembered as a child. What a compliment! The look on her face was priceless. I want to personally thank rusty_ns for providing this top-notch recipe. Believe me, not only do I thank you, but my 80 year old mother does, too! Bless you and thanks again! Dave drdave19@bellsouth.net

Thanks, 2many, for the kind thoughts. Thank you Nancyinnc, for that recipe. I didn't have your recipe so I used this one from the California fig people. It doesn't call for any pectin, and it cooked for quite a while before it reached gel point. I think pectin would be a lot more consistent and less time consuming. It's all your fault anyway, for sending me those fresh figs. (grin) Ooohh, Colleen, that sounds really good, I like ginger. Jessica did give me a jar of fig preserves that she made with vanilla beans and it was so good, I think ginger would be equally good. Nancy, don't forget those figs, the fig preserves are something that my daughter will eat with a spoon! Fig Jam with Dried Figs INGREDIENTS 28 ounces dried California figs 5 cups water ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 3 cups sugar seeds from juiced lemons 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 tablespoon dark rum PROCEDUREMeasure figs into 4 quart kettle. Add water; cover and bring to boil. Remove from heat and let stand until figs are plumped. Then, with a slotted spoon, remove figs; reserve liquid. With scissors, remove stems from figs and chop; set aside. Add lemon juice and sugar to reserved liquid and heat to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Tie lemon seeds in cheesecloth bag and add to kettle along with chopped figs. Heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat; remove and discard cheesecloth bag with seeds. Stir in cardamom and rum; heat to boil. Ladle into sterilized pint or ½ pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Cover and seal jars according to instructions. Then, process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Yields: About 4½ cups Serves: 36 (2 tablespoons each) Annie

I used to make some cookies called "Vineyard Raisin Drops", and I used dark raisins that I simmered in red wine for a few minutes to plump them up. For golden raisins, you could use white wine - even perhaps a sweet one, such as Chenin Blanc or Riesling. After you simmer the raisins, you strain them and let them drain on paper towels to remove excess moisture. This process works for cookies - I've not tried it with chocolate. I would experiment with a small quantity first.