Steamed Spotted Dick Food

SPOTTED DICK! TRADITIONAL BRITISH STEAMED FRUIT SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• Grease a 600 ml (1 pint) pudding basin.
• Mix together the dry ingredients.
• Add the egg and sufficient milk to produce a smooth dropping consistency.
• Place the mixture into prepared pudding basin.
• Cover with pleated greaseproof paper and foil and steam for about 1½ hours.
• Turn out and serve hot with custard or syrup.

SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the suet, currants, sugar, lemon and orange zest.
• Pour in 150ml milk and mix to a firm but moist dough, adding the extra milk if necessary.
• Shape into a fat roll about 20cm long. Place on a large rectangle of baking parchment. Wrap loosely to allow for the pudding to rise and tie the ends with string like a Christmas cracker.
• Place a steamer over a large pan of boiling water, add the pudding to the steamer, cover and steam for 1½ hours. Top up the pan with water from time to time.
• Remove from the steamer and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve sliced with custard.

STEAMED APPLE SPOTTED DICK

Steps:

• Sift the flour, baking powder, spice and a bit of salt into a large bowl.
• Stir in the suet, sugar, currants, apple and lemon zest.
• Add the milk, stirring to form a sticky dough.
• Spoon the mixture into 6 greased 150-200ml pudding basins, topped with a disc of baking parchment and covered tightly with foil.
• Place in a large saucepan or deep roasting tin and add enough boiling water to come three quarters of the way up the tin.
• Cook for 2 hours, keeping the water on a gentle simmer and topping up occasionally with more boiling water.
• Carefully lift the basins out of the pan and remove the foil and paper.
• Turn out of the moulds and serve topped with a drizzle of golden syrup, custard or ice cream if you like (though the last choice is not as English).
• You can also do this in one large 1.2 litre pudding basin. Just be sure to butter it, spoon in the mixture and cover with pleated baking paper, followed by a layer of foil.
• Tie with string and steam for 2-1/2 hours.
• Goes well with a dessert wine or a late harvest.

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:

• 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.

INSTANT POT SPOTTED DICK (GLUTEN FREE)

Steps:

• Using a food processor or high speed blender, add the suet, sweet rice flour, starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Pulse blend until it's mixed thoroughly. Then add suet/flour mixture to a mixing bowl.
• Add egg to the suet/flour mixture in the mixing bowl, and begin gently mixing with a spatula. Slowly add the milk and continue to mix gently until a ball of dough is formed. You may have to start using your hands to get it thoroughly incorporated.
• Add your currants, raisins and zest and mix with your hands.
• Grease a pudding basin or bowl. I used a 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup. Place the dough in there and pat it flat on top.
• Cover with parchment paper, then foil, and secure the edges with an elastic or twine.
• Put 3-4 cups of water in an Instant Pot (depending on the size of pot you have), and place your steamer rack on the bottom. Place your basin/bowl on top of the steamer rack, secure the lid, and seal the valve.
• Press "Steam" (or "Manual" and make sure it's on High Pressure and Normal) and set the timer for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Then leave it to steam.
• After the timer goes off and the steaming is finished, open the valve to do the Quick Release of pressure. Remove the lid and carefully remove the (hot) basin/bowl. Let it sit to cool for 5 minutes.
• Remove the parchment and foil, and gently invert the pudding onto a plate. Serve with your favourite custard.