Steamed Puddings (help needed)

[warda]

I have never made or tasted steamed pudding but I think it would be fun to try one.
I have this one recipe and what I like about it, it seems I do not have to make it in oven but I can use my cooker. Especially summer time when it's hot I rather not bake anything in my oven.

I put the recipe I have here and if there is a 'pudding specialist' here can you tell me is this a good recipe and I would like to have better ones too. Preferably without fresh or frozen berries and other stuff we do not have in Luxor

Washington Pudding recipe
ingredients
2 tbsp raspberry jam
2/3 cup (150 g) butter or margarine
3/4 cup (150 g) caster sugar (superfine granulated)
3 eggs grated
rind of 1/2 lemon
1 1/3 cup (5 1/2 oz) 150 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
fat for greasing

method
1. Work together the fat and sugar until light and creamy.
2. Beat in the eggs gradually.
3. Add the lemon rind and the jam
4. Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold lightly into the mixture.
5. Put into a greased 750 ml basin, cover with greased paper or foil and steam for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours.
6. Leave in the basin at room temperature for 3-5 minutes, then turn out.
7. Serve with warmed raspberry jam
serving amount: serves 6

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]That looks a fairly basic recipe and should be fine.

One thing you could do, and is fairly common for a traditional steamed jam sponge is to put a few spoonfuls of jam in the bottom of the pudding basin before you put the mixture in. When you come to turn it out you will have then have jam sauce running down the sides of the pudding. Be warned though, especially if you giving it to children, the jam gets extreemly hot.[/face]

[warda]

Thanks Hepzi, I'll try this one. Is it supposed to eat cold or hot and with vanilla custard or ice cream maybe?

[HEPZIBAH]

Thanks Hepzi, I'll try this one. Is it supposed to eat cold or hot and with vanilla custard or ice cream maybe?

[face=Comic Sans MS]Yes, warda, usually eaten hot with custard, but cream or icecream is good too. leftovers can be re-heated or eaten cold.

I notice that your ingredients say 'eggs grated'! I'm sure this means fresh eggs which you crack into a bowl and then beat.

An alternative for this one would be to lemon curd instead of jam.

I'm sure I have some alternative recipes, I'll post them when I get more time.[/face]

[chiddy]

think the "grated" should be on the next line

[HEPZIBAH]

think the "grated" should be on the next line

[face=Comic Sans MS] Just goes to show we read things that aren't always there and ignore that which is. A case of more haste less speed for me I'm afraid. [/face]

[warda]

Sorry, I just copied that recipe from my notes and didn't check if it was all right.
Have to admit grated eggs do sound bit odd in jam pudding.

I think this kind of dessert would be best during cold winter months if it's eaten hot like you said. I might do this around Christmas.

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]warda - I posted some Christmas Pudding recipes last year. These are the traditional steamed puddings that we have in the UK. Again serve with custard, cream, ice cream or alternatively Brandy Butter or Rum Sauce.[/face]viewtopic.php?t=9014

[Goddess]

Pooey!!! Got all excited about having a real christmas pud this year because we can't get half the ingredients out here to make one - charged over to Hepzi's link - and I still can't get half the ingredients out here.
Looks like I'll have to have another one flown in again!!!

[HEPZIBAH]

Pooey!!! Got all excited about having a real christmas pud this year because we can't get half the ingredients out here to make one - charged over to Hepzi's link - and I still can't get half the ingredients out here.
Looks like I'll have to have another one flown in again!!!

[face=Comic Sans MS]Goddess - don't be put off, be creative. So you can't get half the ingredients, does that mean that you can get the other half? The dried fruits, nuts etc can be any combination to taste, as can any liquid added to it from rum, brandy, cider beer, apple juice to cold tea. Recipes like this only came about because people had bits of this and that around and combined them with a basic binding ingredient.

I'm up to my eyes in student's arriving anytime now and induction meetings but will post some more Steamed/Christmas pud recipes before the week is out. [/face]

[Goddess]

The trouble is that I can be very creative!

I've cut and pasted the ingredients from your pud recipe.

Ingredients
4 oz (110 g) shredded suet
2 oz (50 g) self-raising flour, sifted
4 oz (110 g) white breadcrumbs
1 level teaspoon ground mixed spice
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
good pinch ground cinnamon
8 oz (225 g) soft dark brown sugar
4 oz (110 g) sultanas
4 oz (110 g) raisins
10 oz (275 g) currants
1 oz (25 g) mixed candied peel, finely chopped (buy whole peel if possible, then chop it yourself)
1 oz (25 g) almonds, skinned and chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
grated zest ½ large orange
grated zest ½ large lemon
2 tablespoons rum
2½ fl oz (75 ml) barley wine
2½ fl oz (75 ml) stout
2 large eggs

You will also need a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin, lightly greased. These are the ingredients for the Traditional pudding

Stuff in green is what I know I can't get my hands on. Now I know I could substitute a few things, like a few prunes, figs, apricots in place of the raisins and candied peel, and I could stick in extra zest in place of the candied peel. I could make brown sugar with white sugar and molasses mixed. Brandy would have to cover all the alcoholic bases. And then since I don't have a pudding bowl I'd have to put it in my tin - So I end up with fruit cake!!! I read the other recipe for the light christmas pudding - but it just sounds like Pannacotta without the steam - which I can easily make here but don't like.
Living here has made me realise a few things - there are times when substituting is a good idea - and times when it isn't.
Maybe a plum pudding might be a bit easier here? If you can pull a recipe for one of those out of your hat I would be very interested - never made one of those either - will bob off now and have a peek at those to cheer myself up a bit!

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]Goddess, you must have a domed shaped bowl of some kind.

Can you get muslin? If so you could make a ball shaped one in muslin - very traditional and christmas cardish! You would need to cook this though in steamer above the boiling water rather than standing your pudding basin in a pan of boiling water.[/face]

[Goddess]

I've only got one pyrex dome shaped bowl - the only problem is it's a 2 litre one - so would either have to make a darned huge pud or a tiny one that looked like a bump on the plate! Will pootle round the kitchen dept in the shops tomorrow and see if I can get my sticky hands on one.
Now about the muslin - I was just going to have used a cotton sheet? Would this be a big faux pas do you think? Not breathy enough? But the ball shaped one sounds like a fantastic idea

[HEPZIBAH]

I've only got one pyrex dome shaped bowl - the only problem is it's a 2 litre one - so would either have to make a darned huge pud or a tiny one that looked like a bump on the plate! Will pootle round the kitchen dept in the shops tomorrow and see if I can get my sticky hands on one.
Now about the muslin - I was just going to have used a cotton sheet? Would this be a big faux pas do you think? Not breathy enough? But the ball shaped one sounds like a fantastic idea

[face=Comic Sans MS]I don't see why a piece of sheeting cotton shouldn't work, but it may depend on how thick it is.

:idea: Another thought is to do what a friend of mine does and make individual puds. She has special mini pudding tins but cups work just as well. That way you can make a batch and store the rest for the time you fancy a pud but don't have the time or energy to make one.[/face]

[Semsema]

CHOCOLATE STEAM PUDDING

Ingredients

50g/2oz unsweetened plain cooking chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids)
110g/4oz plain flour
110g/4oz caster sugar
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
125ml/4fl oz skimmed milk
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp grated nutmeg
75g/3oz hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
margarine, for greasing

Method

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the hazelnuts, in a food processor or mixer and blend for one minute at low speed.
3. Add the melted chocolate and blend for one minute at high speed. Fold in the hazelnuts.
4. Lightly grease a 1.2 litre/2 pint pudding basin with margarine. Spoon the batter into the basin. Cover with a lid or a pleated greased sheet of foil tied securely with string.
5. Spoon the batter into the basin. Cover with a lid or a pleated greased sheet of foil tied securely with string.
6. Place the basin on a rack set in the bottom of a pan.
7. Pour boiling water into the pan until it comes three-quarters the way up the side of the basin.
8. Cook over a medium heat for about 1-1½ hours or until a knife or skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
9. Remove the pudding from the pan and allow to cool for ten minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and invert on to a serving dish.

Serve with: CONFECTIONER’S CUSTARD

Ingredients:

60g flour
175g sugar
Pinch of salt
15g butter
4 eggs.
½ tsp vanilla essence

Method:

In a thick-bottomed saucepan place 60g flour, 175g of sugar, a pinch of salt, 15g of butter and four whole eggs.
Work this mixture with a whisk. Infuse a vanilla pod (or half a teaspoon of pure vanilla essence) in half a litre of milk in a separate saucepan and bring to the boil then add it to the mixture in the first saucepan.
Stir well then heat until boiling point is reached and keep stirring for a minute or two. Remove the vanilla pod (if used) and pour the mixture into an earthenware dish and allow to cool.