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1
Place the currants in a bowl. Pour the warm brandy over them and leave to soak for 30 minutes. The currants should be visibly plumped and the brandy largely absorbed.
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2
Combine the flour, baking powder, shredded beef suet, and caster sugar in a large bowl. Stir to distribute the suet evenly through the dry ingredients. Add the drained currants and stir once more. Pour in the milk gradually, mixing to a soft, slightly sticky dough. The dough should hold its shape but not be stiff or dry.
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3
Grease a 1-litre pudding basin thoroughly. Pack the dough into the basin, pressing it level at the top. Cover the basin with a double layer of greaseproof paper and a layer of foil, pleating the centre to allow for expansion. Tie securely with string around the rim so that no gap exists — any uncovered gap will allow condensation to drip into the pudding and produce wet spots in the finished sponge. The seal must be tight.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. Place the basin on a trivet or upturned saucer in a large, deep saucepan. Pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the side of the basin. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a steady, vigorous simmer. Cover the pan and steam for the full 90 minutes. Check the water level at the halfway point and replenish with boiling water if necessary — if the pan boils dry, the pudding will be raw at its centre. At 90 minutes, insert a skewer through the foil into the centre: it must come out clean and the pudding must spring back when lightly pressed.
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5
Remove the basin from the steamer. Leave the pudding to rest in its basin for 5 minutes — this allows the structure to set so the pudding turns out cleanly. Run a palette knife around the edge, then invert onto a warmed serving plate. The pudding should release intact, holding a domed form, deep golden-brown at its surface.
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6
For the English custard: whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until pale. Heat the milk with the vanilla to just below the boil. Pour the hot milk onto the yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Return to the pan over low heat and stir without ceasing until the custard reaches 82°C and coats the back of a spoon. It must be pourable — a crème anglaise consistency — not set. Pour generously over the turned-out pudding at table.