English Jam Bag Pudding Food

ENGLISH JAM BAG PUDDING

Steps:

• Make starter:
• Stir together sugar and warm milk in a bowl. Stir in yeast and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Stir flour into yeast mixture, forming a soft dough. Cut a deep X in top with sharp kitchen shears. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature 1 hour.
• Make dough:
• Stir together sugar, salt, and hot milk in a small bowl until combined well. Fit mixer with whisk attachment and beat 2 eggs at medium-low speed until foamy. Add sugar-milk mixture and beat until combined well. With motor running, add (in order) 1/2 cup flour, remaining egg, 1/2 cup flour, 3 tablespoons butter, and remaining 1/2 cup flour, beating well after each addition. Continue to beat 1 minute.
• Switch to dough hook. Scrape starter onto dough with a rubber spatula and beat at medium-high speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Add 9 tablespoons butter and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Lightly butter a large bowl and scrape dough into bowl with rubber spatula (dough will be very sticky). Lightly dust dough with flour to prevent a crust from forming. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.
• Stir down dough with rubber spatula and lightly dust with flour (dough will still be very sticky). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough, stirring it again after the first hour, at least 12 hours.
• Make pudding:
• Generously brush softened butter over bottom and up sides of ring mold.
• Using rubber spatula, scrape dough onto a well-floured surface and dust dough with flour. Roll out dough into a 10 1/2-inch disk (about 1/2 inch thick) with a well-floured rolling pin. Cut out 20 rounds (as close together as possible) with floured cutter. Gather scraps and knead once or twice, then roll out into a 5 1/2-inch disk (1/2 inch thick) and chill disk, wrapped in plastic wrap.
• Flatten 2 (2-inch) rounds of dough to 2 1/2 inches wide with floured fingertips.
• Make an indentation in center of 1 flattened round with your thumb, and place 1 level teaspoon jam in indentation, keeping edge of round clean. Cover with remaining flattened round and gently pinch edges using floured fingers to seal completely. Gently roll between floured palms to smooth seams and form a round pouch. Repeat with remaining rounds. (If rounds become too soft to work with, chill on a plate, covered.) Cut out 8 more rounds from chilled disk and make 4 more pouches in same manner for a total of 14 filled pouches.
• Brush tops of pouches with some melted butter. With floured fingers, carefully invert 7 pouches (buttered side down) into bottom of ring mold, evenly spaced and barely touching. Brush pouches with more butter and sprinkle pecans evenly on top. Make another layer with remaining 7 pouches, placing each pouch over an area where edges of pouches underneath meet (covering gaps). Brush with remaining melted butter. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until pouches double in bulk, 1 to 2 hours (they will rise slightly above edge of ring mold).
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Carefully remove plastic wrap and put ring mold on a baking sheet, then bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Invert onto a rack and remove ring mold. Cool to warm, 20 to 30 minutes, or room temperature. Turn right side up just before serving. Pull off pouches to serve (do not cut like a cake).
• *Available at fantes.com.

STEAMED JAM PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease a pudding steamer or basin (8 cup capacity).
• Spoon jam into the based of the steamer.
• Beat butter, essence and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy, beat in eggs 1 at a time, beat until combined.
• Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in sifted flour and milk in 2 batches.
• Spread mixture into steamer, cover with greased foil, secure with string or lid.
• Place steamer in large saucepan with enough boiling water to come half way up the side of steamer; boil, covered, about 1 1/2 hours or until firm. Replenish water as necessary.
• When cooked, run a knife around the edge and then invert carefully onto a large plate. The jam will spill over the entire pudding and look very pretty.
• Slice and serve with custard, cream or ice-cream.

THE ULTIMATE ENGLISH CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Lightly butter a 1.4-litre (21/2-pint) pudding basin.
• Cut a small square of foil and press into the base of the basin.
• Measure the sultanas, raisins, apricots and apple into a bowl with the orange juice.
• Add the measured brandy or rum and leave to marinate for about one hour.
• Put the measured butter, sugar and grated orange rind into a large bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk until light and fluffy, gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
• Sift together the flour and mixed spice, then fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs and the nuts.
• Add the dried fruits, apple and liquid and stir well.
• Spoon into the prepared pudding basin, pressing the mixture down, and level the top with the back of a spoon.
• Cover the pudding with a layer of greaseproof paper and foil, both pleated across the middle to allow for expansion.
• Tie securely with string and trim off excess paper and foil with scissors***.
• TO STEAM, put the pudding in the top of a steamer filled with simmering water, cover with a lid and steam for about eight hours, topping up the water as necessary.
• TO BOIL, put a metal jam-jar lid into the base of a large pan to act as a trivet. Put the pudding on to this and pour in enough boiling water to come one-third of the way up the bowl. Cover with a lid, bring the water back to the boil, then simmer for about seven hours, until the pudding is a glorious deep brown colour, topping up the water as necessary.
• Remove the pudding from the steamer or pan and cool completely.
• Make holes in the pudding with a fine skewer and pour in a little more brandy or rum to feed.
• Discard the paper and foil and replace with fresh. Store in a cool, dry place.
• On Christmas Day, steam or boil the pudding for about an hour to reheat. Turn the pudding on to a serving plate.
• To flame, warm 3-4 tablespoons brandy or rum in a small pan, pour it over the hot pudding and set light to it.
• Serve with Rum Sauce or Brandy Butter.

EASY JAM SPONGE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Butter a 25cm square or 20 x 30cm rectangular cake tin or baking dish.
• Beat the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract together until smooth. Spread the jam over the base of the tin, and dollop over the cake batter. Spread over evenly. Bake for 20-25 mins until the sponge is light golden and risen, and a skewer inserted into the middle comes back clean. Serve warm with custard, cream or ice cream.