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27 April 2010

Daring Bakers: A British Pudding

You remember in my last post how I said I made the maramlade for a recipe in a sweet little cookbook full of Lancashire recipes? You remember how I mentioned that a lovely friend from Leeds sent me that cookbook? I don't think I ever truly thanked her as well as I should have for that cookbook. THANK YOU, ANNE!!! This little cookbook is very small but filled with great recipes that I like to imagine being served in a small cottage in the middle of England with a cup of tea and a story from an old granny. It's home cooking that I pretend my Nana would have made for me if we lived across the pond.

  
The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet. We were given free-range to make whatever pudding we wanted so long as it was steamed. We could go savory or sweet, prepared for breakfast or dessert. Nothing else mattered.


I of course was scared to death. This was my first baking challenge. I didn't know where to get suet from. I don't even have a regular butcher that I can go to with these crazy requests (I think it's time for me to find one though). I decided to go with a dessert pudding and came across the one I used in the little Lancashire cookbook. Since I had also come across the marmalade recipe only a week or two ago I knew it would be perfect for my challenge. Now, the pudding truly was not my favorite thing in the world. It actually worked even with all of my reservations about it, but I just wasn't loving the texture. I even asked my hubby, "Is it a fail if the recipe worked but you didn't like it or a success that you just didn't happen to enjoy?" He says it's a success, and who knows. Maybe you'll like it better than I did.


Millers Marmalade Pudding
Recipe from Favorite Yorkshire Recipes, adapted by me

3 Tbl orange marmalade (or rhubarb marmalade if you've made it yourself)
4 oz flour
4 oz granulated sugar
4 oz soft margarine (1 whole stick, I used butter)
1 tsp baking powder
2 medium eggs

Sauce
4 Tbl orange marmalade
1/4 pint water/orange juice mixed (I forgot the orange juice but it was fine)
2 tsp arrowroot (I couldn't find any and therefore left this and the next ingredient out)
2 Tbl cold water
  1. Place a large pot, big enough to hold your pudding bowl, on the stove filled about halfway (you want enough water to come about halfway up the pudding bowl but not so much that it submerges it). Place a ball of foil or other item that will keep the bottom of the bowl from touching the bottom of the pan (this was not a step in the original that I knew about from reading up on puddings; I just used a large biscuit cutter made of metal that worked perfectly). Begin to heat water on medium heat.
  2. Grease a 2 pint heatproof pudding basin and place 3 Tbl marmalade in the base. Put the flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, and eggs into a large bowl, mix, and beat well for 2-3 mintes until soft and of a smooth consistency. Alternatively, use a food processor and process for 30 seconds.
  3. Put the sponge mixture on top of the marmalade in the basin. Cover with a circle of greasproof paper and then seal with foil (I didn't have any parchment paper and was forced to cut a circle out of aluminum; it worked just fine but stuck a little so grease it first if you have to do the same).
  4. Cover and steam for 2 hours. Prepare the sauce while the pudding is steaming by warming together in a saucepan the 4 Tbl marmalade and water/oj mixture and simmer for 5 minutes. Blend the arrowroot and cold water to a smooth cream and stir in some of the marmalade mix. Return this to the pan and heat, stirring untilt he sauce thickens and clears.
  5. Turn out the pudding onto a warm plate and serve hot with the sauce.

10 comments:

Mary said...

It looks great! I made a bunch of marmalade recently, so maybe I'll try this if I make another pudding. Congrats on completing your first challenge!

Hey Mim, don't make it bad said...

Best stick to sticky toffee pudding. (and not putting British pudding on a French plate...)

Sharon's Mum Anne said...

That looks so tasty but leaving arrowroot out seems to be a big gamble. However, if it tasted good that's all that matters.

No thanks required - just saw the book and thought of YOU :-)

Audax said...

Hello and welcome to the Daring Bakers' and I hope that you have many happy experiences with us.

Your pudding looks super and it looks like as it such so great. And the texture is right so it was a success.

Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.

Sunshine said...

Mary - Thank you very much! I had a lot of fun with this one.

Mim - Digging the new name again, but then Hey Jude is my favorite Beatles song. I did the French plates just for you, so there :P

Anne - I really wanted to do the arrowroot part since I love working with new ingredients, but I couldn't find it anywhere. It still came out alright though so I'm happy.

Audax - Thanks for the warm welcome! I had a blast trying this recipe out.

The Betz Family said...

Welcome to daring bakers! I think your "dressed up" pudding looks great! It looks very moist. It's too bad you didn't really care for it. I had that feeling about the first version I tried too. Nice job on the challenge!

Mim is the champion, my friends said...

Well that new name was for YOU. So THERE. But seriously, sticky toffee pudding. Packaged up. Sitting on my doorstep. Next week.

Sharon's Mum Anne said...

How about I send you some arrowroot so you have it in your store cupboard. Ask and ye shall receive!

Sunshine said...

Betz Family - Thank you for the warm welcome. I've made on other pudding before that wasn't steamed that I absolutely loved. Sticky toffee pudding is my favorite to this day.

Mim - I assumed it was for me because it's all about me ;) I don't think STP will travel well through the mail or even taste that good. I can give you the recipe though to make it yourself.

Anne - Yes please! I had to look up what it even was before I went looking for it. Just never did find it.

Mim Mim Bo Bim said...

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHHA!!! Make it myself. You're cute.