Ahhhhhhh....a lovely, sticky steamed pudding to start the chilly season off right. Now here's the conundrum - why is it called Treacle (molasses) pudding when in fact it has not treacle but Golden Syrup in it - hmmmmm - I did my research and found that golden syrup used to be called light treacle and there we have our answer.
Steamed puddings are simple to make but time consuming as they need hours of steaming before they are ready but if you have never made one or tasted one you are in for a treat - they have a texture similar to a dense cake, they are moist and really delicious with that gooey sticky dome atop accompanied by lashings of hot custard - well what more could you ask for?. Why not give a try - you could use any jam for the topping if you can't find golden syrup - but do try to find it as it's such a delightful buttery sweetness.
So off we go!
INGREDIENTS:
4 level tablespoons Golden Syrup
4oz (1/2 cup) (100g) butter
2oz (1/4 cup) (50g) granulated or caster sugar
2oz (1/4 cup) (50g) soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
6oz (3/4 cup) (150g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
4oz (1/2 cup) (100g) butter
2oz (1/4 cup) (50g) granulated or caster sugar
2oz (1/4 cup) (50g) soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
6oz (3/4 cup) (150g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
METHOD:
1.Set a steamer to boil.
2. Grease a 1 1/2 pint pudding basin and spoon Golden Syrup into the bottom - to do this easily heat the tablespoon in very hot water before you fill with each tablespoon of syrup and the syrup will drop very easily from the spoon.
3. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together until light in texture.
4. Mix vanilla essence/extract into the beaten eggs.
5. Gradually add beaten egg and vanilla to the butter sugar mix and beat well between additions.
6. Sift half the flour and baking powder into the mixture and fold in gently with metal spoon then repeat with remaining flour and baking powder.
7. Add enough milk to obtain a dropping consistency - ie when you shake a dollop of the batter from the spoon it falls off easily back into the bowl.
8. Spoon the pour batter on top of syrup in pudding basin and spread to the edges to seal so the syrup won't bubble out of the bottom of the bowl during cooking.
9. Cover basin with a circle of parchment/waxed paper......
and then a circle of foil.
10. Then tie with string as seen here leaving a length of string over to use to safely bob the bowl in and out of the steamer without burning your fingers.
11. Place in steamer, cover and steam for 1 1/2 hours - make the custard you will NEED to go with the pudding, for what is a British steamed pudding without custard, whilst the pudding is steaming - recipe is below.
12. Remove from the steamer and allow to sit for about 10 minutes before removing the covers and finding your pudding has ballooned and now has a domed top - soon to be the bottom - so....cut the sponge level with the top of the bowl and invert onto a plate and allow to plop down et voila - you have a steamed treacle pudding - I did pour some more golden syrup on the top so it would trickle lovingly down the sides of the pudding.
Now you must make custard to go with it - here are the instructions for that - actually, make your custard while the pudding is steaming.
CUSTARD SAUCE, ANLANN CUSTAIRD
from "Irish Traditional Food" by Theodora FitzGibbon, a goodly trusty cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
1 heaped tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 duck egg and 1 duck egg yolk whisked together, large regular eggs work just as well
10 fl oz/ 1 1/4 cups whole milk
METHOD:
1. Beat together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and sugar in a bowl.
2. Have another double boiler on the go.
3. Heat the milk to almost boiling in the top part of the double boiler but on the stove top to make it go faster.
4. Stir a little of the hot milk into the egg mix and then a bit more to temper the temperature.
5. Then put the top part of the double boiler back over the bottom and the boiling water and whisk the egg and milk mix into the rest of the milk
6. Do not leave the custard alone now until it is finished or it will curdle whilst you are not looking and you will have to start again. SO stir and stir and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon as in the picture below...you take the spoon out of the custard, turn the spoon over, run your finger through the custard and if the line doesn't fill back in it is ready, don't let it cook too long or get too hot as the eggs will start to turn into scrambled eggs and the sauce will be grainy.....take off the heat immediately and continue to stir.
from "Irish Traditional Food" by Theodora FitzGibbon, a goodly trusty cookbook
INGREDIENTS:
1 heaped tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 duck egg and 1 duck egg yolk whisked together, large regular eggs work just as well
10 fl oz/ 1 1/4 cups whole milk
METHOD:
1. Beat together the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and sugar in a bowl.
2. Have another double boiler on the go.
3. Heat the milk to almost boiling in the top part of the double boiler but on the stove top to make it go faster.
4. Stir a little of the hot milk into the egg mix and then a bit more to temper the temperature.
5. Then put the top part of the double boiler back over the bottom and the boiling water and whisk the egg and milk mix into the rest of the milk
6. Do not leave the custard alone now until it is finished or it will curdle whilst you are not looking and you will have to start again. SO stir and stir and stir with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon as in the picture below...you take the spoon out of the custard, turn the spoon over, run your finger through the custard and if the line doesn't fill back in it is ready, don't let it cook too long or get too hot as the eggs will start to turn into scrambled eggs and the sauce will be grainy.....take off the heat immediately and continue to stir.
HAPPY STEAMING EVERYONE: Let me know how you do and as always please feel free to post pictures of your divine puddings on my Facebook page HERE!
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15TH
there will be FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING from my SPOONFLOWER shop on all my designs on fabric , wallpaper and , for a limited tie, giftwrap. Happy Shopping - Patricia
1 comment:
Ohhhhhhhh.....and also, I am adding an enthusiastic mmmmmmmmmmm to that.
Patricia, can I fly over to your place right now and dig into one huge slice of this absolutely gorgeous pud? Pretty please? Pretty please with golden syrup on top?
Although when I was *much) younger I liked my fair share of sweet things, but I don't think I ever had what would be considered a classic 'sweet tooth.' I was more into the savoury and salty treats (although, as I said, I'd be hard pressed to turn away from a good pud or cake or anything chocolate, believe me).
Now, however, that has changed considerably and significantly. I love puds, cakes, bikkies, pies, tarts, muffins, scones and sweet breads all the more - intensely more so - than I ever have before now. To the point where I have even dreamt of chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, pecan pies, apple crumbles, and chocolate digestives! What's that about? lol
Thanks for sharing this very yummy and seemingly simple recipe. I don't know if I'll be able to find the time for the steaming part of it though - which again prompts my earlier question: can I come round to yours for some of this? Yummmmmmmmm....
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