Eating in:Why not warm up with a pudding? Hugo Arnold serves up some recipes
I am moving into pudding mode. Steamed ones are top of my list, followed by other nursery staples, such as bread-and-butter pudding and jam roly-poly.
They take a bit of time to make, but can't you already smell the aromas wafting through the house? And why not put aside an hour or two to feed your family with proper old-fashioned food?
That said, the days of heavy suet puddings are long gone. Were I a working farmer I reckon the suet would be a welcome ingredient, but I'm all for the lighter touch.
Gone, too, is the adherence to some of the heavier traditional flavours. I've seen some pretty wacky variations, including lemon grass and galangal, but some of the modern twists, such as blueberry and star anise, work rather well.
You can't eat a hot classic pud without cream, and one of the other welcome modern developments has been the range of creams: single or double, certainly, but also creme fraiche, clotted and organic creams and, best of all, home- made creme anglaise (custard to you and me).
If you really are stuck, adding some whipped cream and bit of alcohol to the packet variety does wonders.
Recipes serve four
STEAMED MARMALADE PUDDING
2 tbsp golden syrup
grated zest and juice of ½ orange
100g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp marmalade
85g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
85g breadcrumbs
Grease a one-and-a-quarter-litre pudding basin. Combine the syrup with the orange juice and zest in a mixing bowl.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light, beat in the eggs a little at a time and stir in the marmalade.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and fold into the creamed mixture with the breadcrumbs. Spoon into the basin and cover with greaseproof paper and a layer of foil, both pleated in the middle so the pudding can expand.
Tie string around the edge and across the middle, to make a handle so you can lift the basin out of the pan.
Lower into a steamer or on to a saucer in a tight-fitting saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. Simmer over a gentle heat for two hours (check the water doesn't boil away).
Remove, allow to sit for 10 minutes, then turn on to a plate to serve, taking care you don't spill any of the hot sauce over yourself.
QUEEN OF PUDDINGS
1 pint milk
50g butter
125g fresh white breadcrumbs
25g caster sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
4 eggs
4 tbsp raspberry jam
100g caster sugar
Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the mixture is lukewarm. Combine the breadcrumbs, 25g sugar and lemon rind, then stir them into the mixture. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Separate the eggs, beating the yolks into the crumb mixture. Grease a pie dish, pour in
the crumb mixture, then bake in a preheated oven, at gas four/180 degrees, for 30 minutes, or until just firm.
Warm the jam by standing the jar in hot water, then gently spread it on the pudding without breaking the surface. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in the 100g caster sugar.
Place on top of the pudding - the more peaks the better - and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned and crisp.