Almond Cream Sauce For Steamed Date Pudding Food

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make pudding:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.
• Coarsely chop dates and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
• While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
• Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.
• Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
• In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.
• Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.

STEAMED CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease one 2-quart lidded pudding mold. Sift together the flour, sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, butter, mincemeat, cranberry sauce and pumpkin. Add to flour mixture and mix until smooth; pour into pudding mold.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large pot, over medium heat, and fill 1/2 way up with boiling water. Place the pudding on the rack. Steam for 2 1/2 hours.
• Check the pan occasionally and add more water if needed. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. When firm, place the pudding mold on a rack outside of the water for 10 minutes and unmold.
• Prepare a sauce by blending together the sour cream, cream cheese and confectioners sugar. Spoon dollops over warm pudding and serve.

STICKY DATE & RAISIN PUDDING

Steps:

• Put the dates, raisins, milk and brandy or rum in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins until the fruit is soft and the liquid has been absorbed - don't worry if it looks a little curdled. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, generously butter a 1.2-litre pudding basin.
• To prepare your steamer, place a snugly fitting upturned bowl or saucer in the base of a large, deep saucepan, big enough to hold your pudding basin. Cut out a large circle of baking parchment and one of foil, both 5cm wider than the rim of your pudding basin. Make a sharp pleat down the centre of both, then butter one side of the parchment - this will be your lid. Set aside. Boil the kettle for the steamer.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating again until well combined. Finally, add the flour, mixed spice, orange zest, date mixture and a pinch of salt, and stir everything well with a spatula until there are no visible lumps of flour. Tip the cake mixture into your pudding basin. Cover the bowl with the parchment, butter-side down and pleat on top, then the foil. Push the sides of the lid down, then tie a piece of string securely under the lip of the basin. Use any overhanging string to create a handle to help you lift the pudding.
• Stand the pudding basin on top of the upturned bowl or saucer in the saucepan and fill the pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pan with a lid and leave to steam for 2½ hrs, topping up with boiling water if the level gets low. Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre. If the skewer has any uncooked mixture on it, return it to the pan to steam for another 15 mins, then check again. Once cooked, you can cover the pudding with clean baking parchment and foil and keep for up to a week. Re-steam the pudding for 1 hr before serving.

OLD FASHIONED DATE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring 1 cup brown sugar and water to a boil. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add butter; set aside. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining brown sugar. Stir in milk until smooth. add dates and walnuts., Pour hot brown sugar syrup into an 8-in. square baking dish. Spoon batter over syrup. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake topping comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.

NORWEGIAN ALMOND CREAM WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE (MANDEL PUDDING)

Steps:

• For the pudding: lightly grease a 500ml ring mould. Put the almonds, sugar and almond essence in a large saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the cream and milk and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, bring it to the boil then remove from the heat.
• Leave the gelatine sheets to soak in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften, then squeeze the sheets and put them in a large bowl. Strain the milk mixture over the gelatine and stir until it has melted. Pour the mixture into the ring mould and leave it in the fridge overnight to set.
• For the blueberry sauce: put the blueberries, sugar and water in a pan over a gentle heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the blueberries are soft -- mash them with a wooden spoon to help them on their way. Mix the cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water, then stir this into the blueberries. Cook until the compote thickens and remove it from the heat. Sieve it into a bowl, leave it to cool and then chill overnight.
• To serve: stir the amaretto into the thick cream and scatter it with the almonds. Take the pudding and compote out of the fridge and dip the ring mould in hot water for a few seconds. Tip the pudding out of it on to a serving plate, and accompany it with the blueberry sauce and amaretto cream.

MOM'S FOAMY SAUCE FOR STEAMED PUDDING

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar together.
• Add the well-beaten egg yolks and beat thoroughly over hot water in a double boiler.
• Remove from the heat and fold in the stiffly-beaten egg whites, then the vanilla and the whipped cream.
• Pour over your favorite steamed pudding.
• This is one of our traditional family favorites!