Spotted Dick Style Oatmeal Porridge Food

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl sift in the flour and bread soda, add the salt, sugar, and sultanas. Mix well by lifting the flour and fruit up in to your hands and then letting them fall back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore hopefully more lightness to your finished bread. Now make a well in the center of the flour. Break the egg into the bottom of your measuring jug, and add the buttermilk to the14 fluid ounce (425 milliliter) line (your egg is part of your liquid measurement). Pour most of this milk and egg into the flour. Using 1 hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. The trick with spotted dick like all soda breads is not to over mix the dough. Mix it as quickly and as gently as possible thus keeping it light and airy. When the dough all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands.
• With floured fingers roll lightly for a few seconds just enough to tidy it up. Pat the dough into a round, pressing to about 2-inch (6 centimeter) in height. Place the dough on a baking tray dusted lightly with flour. With a sharp knife cut a deep cross on it, let the cuts go over the sides of the bread. Prick with knife at the 4 triangles as according to Irish Folklore this is to let the fairies out!
• Put in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 35 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt about the bread being cooked, tap the bottom: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. Serve freshly baked, cut into thick slices and smeared with butter and jam. Spotted Dick is also really good eaten with cheese.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
• Note: an Irish tablespoon is the same quantity as an American tablespoon plus a teaspoon.

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Heat milk, cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often until steaming.
• Whisk together sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until well combined. Gradually pour half of warm milk mixture into egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into milk mixture in saucepan. Cook egg yolk mixture over medium-low, whisking constantly, until mixture is just slightly thickened and coats the back of a spoon (see Cook's Note), 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Strain egg yolk mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl; let cool, uncovered, at room temperature for 30 minutes. Loosely cover and chill until completely cool, about 1 hour.
• While custard sauce cools, grease a 1.5-quart heat proof metal bowl with butter. Trace base of bowl on a sheet of parchment paper; cut out parchment round and use to line bottom of bowl.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture by hand or using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, currants, raisins, and lemon zest until well combined. Gradually stir in milk and vanilla just until combined. Batter will be very thick.
• Spoon batter into the prepared bowl, smoothing into an even layer. Loosely cover the bowl with a piece of buttered parchment paper. Tightly cover bowl with a double layer of aluminum foil. Wrap kitchen twine twice around top edge of bowl and tie tightly to secure aluminum foil; tie another piece of string onto twine on opposite sides of bowl to create a handle.
• Place an expandable metal steamer basket upside down in a large, deep pot to create a perforated platform. Fill pot with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high, then reduce to a simmer over low. Place bowl in the pot. (Bottom of bowl should not touch water.) Cover and steam until pudding is set and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center register about 180 degrees F ( 82 degrees C). Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and add additional water as needed.
• Carefully remove bowl from pot using twine handle; remove and discard twine, aluminum foil and parchment paper. Let cool in bowl 10 minutes.
• Invert pudding onto a serving plate; remove bowl and discard parchment. Serve warm with chilled custard sauce.

SPOTTED DICK STYLE OATMEAL PORRIDGE

Steps:

• Separate the egg whites into a small bowl and dispose of, or otherwise jetison the yolks :).
• Weigh the sultanas into another small bowl.
• Chop the prunes into medium chunks (perhaps just a bit bigger than 1/3 inch cubes roughly) and place in another small bowl.
• In a saucepan, add 1 medium heaped tablespoon of Wheat Bran.
• Weigh approx 65g to 70g Porridge Oats (Oatmeal) into the pan (depending on how hungry you feel).
• Add a mere hint of ground ginger (you don't want to actually taste the ginger, it's just there to help bring out the flavours), and add a generous few drops of Vanilla flavouring.
• Add approx 445g/445ml water (to my taste, approx 6.6g/6.6ml water per gram of oatmeal gives a good thick porridge).
• Place pan on stove and bring to a boil. When just starting to boil, add the sultanas, and continue to boil on a medium heat, stirring continuously, for a few minutes until fairly thick and the sultanas have softened nicely.
• Depending on how dried out the prunes are you may wish to add them now (or earlier if they are really dry. The ones I get are completely hydrated and really squishy so I add them only at the very end). Also, if using sugar rather than sweetner, it would probably be best to add it now.
• Pour the egg whites onto the middle of the porridge and turn up the heat a bit. Don't stir.
• Heat for a few minutes, then poke a wooden spoon or spatula in a few places around the outsides of the pan to tease the porridge and egg off the sides of the pan back into the mix. You want a final result of biggish pieces of egg-white through the porridge but no huge lumps - and obviously the egg white must be cooked completely :).
• Bring back to a vigourous boil for a couple of minutes until it's clear the egg-white has properly cooked, stirring occasionally to prevent the egg-white forming any really big pieces.
• Stir in a few teaspoons on Splenda or non-aspartame based sweetener (aspartame decomposes at 85 degrees centigrade and loses its sweetness - Splenda is sucralose-based so avoids this problem) - to taste.
• If your prunes are as squishy as mine, then add them to the porridge and quickly stir in to mix.
• Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle another teaspoon of sweetener over the top.
• Add a generous dollop of low-fat strained (Greek-Style) yoghurt (or any plain yoghurt you have handy), and gently stir in a spoonful of granulated sweetener into the yoghurt. (The yoghurt does benefit from having been sweetened and sugar will be crunchy for ages so granulated sweetener (which dissolves instantly) would be best.).
• Drizzle honey over the top of the porridge and devour.
• Trust me - you won't make this only once :) I did it one morning when I fancied a simpler porridge without all the spices and fruit I so often add and have been eating it very nearly every day for weeks :).

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Fill a large heavy pot (at least 8 inches across by 6 inches deep, with a tight-fitting lid) with 1 1/2 inches water. Make a platform for pudding by setting metal cookie cutters or egg-poaching rings in bottom of pot. Knead fruit and zest into dough and form dough into a ball. Put into well-buttered pudding mold and flatten top. Top dough with a round of buttered wax paper, buttered side down, and cover top of mold with heavy-duty foil, crimping tightly around edge.
• Bring water in pot to a boil and set mold on platform. Steam pudding, covered, over simmering water 1 1/2 to 2 hours (add more boiling water to pot if necessary), or until golden and puffed. Transfer pudding in mold to a rack and let stand 5 minutes. Discard foil and wax paper and run a thin knife around edge of pudding. Invert a plate over mold, then invert pudding onto plate. Serve immediately with custard sauce.

SPOTTED DICK RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Place a steamer rack inside a large stock pot. Add enough water so that when placed on the steamer rack, the pudding mold will be about ¾ of the way submerged. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil.
• Grease the pudding mold well with the softened butter. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and turn the mold to coat evenly. Cut out a 6-inch (12 cm) round of parchment paper and grease with butter.
• Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl.
• Add the remaining 3¾ cups (465 G) flour, the salt, and baking powder. Mix with a fork until evenly distributed.
• Add the sugar, raisins, currants, and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
• Add the milk and eggs. Stir with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and there are no dry spots remaining, being careful not to overmix.
• Transfer to the batter to the prepared pudding mold and smooth the top. Place the parchment round over the batter, greased side down. Secure the lid to the mold.
• Carefully lower the pudding mold into the steam bath. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and steam for 80-90 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pudding is at least 180°F (80°C). Add more water as needed to maintain the level.
• While the pudding steams, make the crème anglaise: Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl, filling about halfway.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup (50 G) sugar. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, remaining ¼ cup (50 G) of sugar, the salt, and the vanilla bean (if using vanilla extract, stir into the cooled crème anglaise). Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to steam. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Ladle ½ cup (120 ML) of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk well. This will temper the eggs so they do not curdle when added back to the pot. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk mixture.
• Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to ensure the egg yolks don't cook on the bottom of the pot, for about 5 minutes, until the custard coats the back of the spoon.
• Set a strainer inside a medium bowl, then set the bowl in the ice bath, making sure the water doesn't come over the sides. Strain the crème anglaise into the bowl. Whisk until cool, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Once the pudding has cooked through, carefully remove it from the steam rack and let sit for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Uncover the mold and remove the parchment round. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen. Carefully flip onto a serving platter.
• Slice and serve the spotted dick warm with the crème anglaise alongside.
• Enjoy!

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Set a round wire rack in bottom of a large stockpot. Set a 5-cup pudding basin or ovenproof bowl (or two 3-cup basins) on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come about three-quarters of the way up sides of basin. Remove basin; dry, and butter inside. Set aside. Cover pot, and bring to a boil.
• Butter a 10-inch round of parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in butter until pieces are no larger than small peas. Stir in sugar, lemon zest, and currants. Stir in lemon juice, then eggs and milk; stir until combined.
• Transfer batter to prepared basin. Place parchment round, buttered side down, over basin. Make a pleat in center of parchment. Cover with an 11-inch round of foil. Make a pleat in center of foil to allow room for pudding to expand. Cut a piece of kitchen twine about 7 feet long. Wrap twine twice around basin over foil, just below lip. Knot to secure. Tie loose ends to twine on other side of basin, creating a handle.
• Carefully lower pudding into boiling water, and cover pot. Return to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and steam until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pudding registers 180 degrees, about 2 hours, adding boiling water occasionally to maintain level.
• Transfer pudding to a wire rack. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of bowl to loosen; invert pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm, with creme anglaise if desired.

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Butter bowl or ramekins, then dust with flour, knocking out excess. On parchment paper, trace circle slightly larger than diameter of bowl (or 8 circles slightly larger than ramekins). Cut out.
• Fill large, shallow, wide saucepan with 1 inch water. Add flat steamer or equally sized cookie cutters to create steaming platform just above water level.
• In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl periodically. Beat in vanilla.
• Sift flour into medium bowl. Gradually beat flour into egg mixture just until combined. Add 3 tablespoons milk and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add raisins and beat just until combined.
• Transfer batter to prepared bowl or ramekins, smoothing top. Top bowl or ramekins with parchment paper circle(s), gently pressing on paper to make contact with batter.
• Over moderately high heat, bring water in steamer to simmer. Transfer bowl or ramekins to steamer, cover pan tightly, lower heat to moderate, and steam, adding more boiling water to pan if necessary, until pudding is set, about 2 hours for bowl or 1 hour for ramekins.
• Meanwhile, make custard sauce: In large bowl, whisk together custard powder, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons milk to form paste. In medium saucepan over moderate heat, bring remaining 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons milk to simmer. Whisking constantly, gradually add hot milk to custard paste. Return mixture to saucepan and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• Transfer pudding bowl or ramekins to rack and cool 5 minutes. Run paring knife around inside rim of bowl or ramekins and invert pudding(s) onto plate(s). Serve warm with custard sauce.