Winter is such a comfort food time in Melbourne and what better way to fill that warmth craving in our slowly widening waists than with a good pudding. Sticky date pudding is all the go in the Australian colder months, the stickier the better. Its the ultimate winter warmer dessert and a sure hit with everyone, in fact rarely have i come across someone who doesnt like it. One warm comforting mouthful as the sauce runs down your throat like a gentle liquid streamand im hooked. Served with whipped cream or cold ice cream, this pudding is beyond compare, I could easily gain a compulsive eating disorder with this, its hard to stop once begun. Your guests will be drooling at the mouth once you mention that you are making this dish for desert and wait till they try how good this variation is. Once eaten, never forgotten, a tasteful memory worth those extra kilos to the hips.
There really are so many different versions out there, all quiet similar but with slight variations, especially in the amount of butter used which can make it taste all the better but can sometimes I believe be unneccesary. In this case, it was necessary. I tested a few recipes out but the ones with more butter seemed that bit better, that bit more caramelly, stickier and satisfying and I found this to be the best recipe, taken from a canadian gourmet magazine. This quantity is for a big slice tin of pudding with enough sauce to cover it all and will last a family of four, as piggy as mine, a couple of nights or a dinner party of 6-8 quiet generously. However, I generally halve this quantity.
Ingrediants:
For pudding
1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates
1 cup water
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
(6 tablespoons) unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For sauce
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.
2.Coarsely chop and in a saucepan simmer dates in water and orange juice, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
3. While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
6. Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 1 hour. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.
Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
In a heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.
Cut warm pudding into triangles, poke holes in pieces with a fork. Serve with thick cream and warm sauce which will drizzle into the holes in the pudding and become moist and sticky.
