Having made a christmas pudding this year and having steamed it in the slow cooker for 20 hours; Will it be acceptable to heat it in the microwave on Christmas day instead of a further 2 hours steaming?
Yes - but not in a foil container obviously! Will take about 4 - 5 minutes, depending on how big it is. When I first microwaved an Xmas pudding couldn't believe how little time it took. Nuked it for about 20 minutes. Disaster... talk about solid. Since then I've learnt my lesson. Make the pudding around October time, steam it etc etc. Then nuke it for about five minutes just before sprinkling it with alcohol and setting it alight.
i never steam our christmas pudding these days, even to cook it initially. you mic it for 4 minutes, rest it for 4 minutes and then mic it again for 3 minutes - done!! then on christmas day mic it for another 3-4 minutes to heat it through. the secret is not to over mic it, and to let it rest properly to allow the heat to permeate through the pud.