Mini and maxi-sized steamed puddings

Press, 2 June 1982, Page 20

Mini and maxi-sized steamed puddings

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts

As I sat down to write a family-sized steamed pudding recipe recently I started to think about the many people who would like to make the same sort of thing, but in a quantity suitable for one or two servings.

No sooner thought than done! Back in the kitchen I started experimenting with very small quantities of ingredients. I steamed my mini-pud-dings in individual dessert bowls. I used Chinese bowls which are deeper that? normal dessert bowls—but there is nothing to stop you using a shallowish bowl—or if you prefer a taller, unmoul'ded pudding, a large cup makes a good mini-pudding basin. If you are an impatient cook and like to see fast results for your efforts, cook your “mini-pud" f uncovered. Once the water surrounding the pudding is bubbling gently, and it is surrounded by steam, it will take about 12 minutes to cook. Then you can lift it out of the pot, leave it to stand for 2 to 3 minutes while the sauce thickens a little bit, then unmould it on to a pudding plate—and you will have a perfect little pudding, covered with sauce. If you prefer the traditional approach, cover the mini pudding-container with aluminium foil, and steam it for 30 to 35 minutes. Whichever method you choose, you should stand your pudding on something which will lift it from the bottom of the saucepan, because it is easy to let a saucepan boil dry. You can use a saucer, a butter dish, or a piece of crumpled foil. This recipe will make one fairly generous, or two small servings. Pudding 2 teaspoons (lOg) butter 1 rounded household teaspoon golden syrup 2 tablespoons milk scant '.4 teaspoon baking soda ‘A cup flour Sauce 1 teaspoon butter

1 rounded household teaspoon golden syrup ’4 cup hot water few. drops 'essence or lemon 1 juice First make the pudding. Measure two level measuring teaspoons (or one rounded household,teaspoonful) of butter into a small saucepan. Heat until butter is melted than add a rounded household teaspoonful of golden syrup. Stir until the syrup softens, then remove from the heat. Add the milk, stir to mix. and feel the heat of the mixture. If it is warmer than lukewarm stand the pot in cold water to cool it down, before adding the baking soda. (If the mixture is warm it will,be frothy when the soda is stirred in, and the pudding will not rise while it cooks.) Stir in the flour. Do not mix until smooth, mix just until the dry ingredients are dampened. The mixture should not look completely smooth. Select a suitable “bowl" for the pudding (see above) and butter it, using the 1 teaspoon of butter listed in the sauce ingredients. Drizzle the golden syrup from the sauce ingredients over the butter, then drop the pudding mixture into the bowl. Do not smooth it, but let it stay, in a “blob.” To % cup hqt tap water add a few drops of vanilla, rum essence, or lemon juice, for extra flavour, then pour this around the pudding. Cover the bowl with foil if you prefer to cook a mixture like this covered, or if you plan to cook it in a pot with, for example, potatoes and

carrots. Otherwise, leave it uncovered. Put a butter dish, saucer, or piece of crumpled foil in the pot to keep the bowl off the bottom, and have water bubbling in the pot at least Icm (’/a inch) deep. Put the pudding in, cover the pot tightly, and make sure the water stays boiling gently all the time the pudding cooks.

Cook the uncovered pud-, ding 10. to 12 minutes, and the covered pudding 30 to 35 ■minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre shows cooked mixture. Leave to stand for 1 to 2 minutes, then unmould. Variation: Replace the

golden syrup from the sauce with 1 to 2 teaspoons of. marmalade to .make a steamed pudding with’ a marmalade sauce. For a larger, six pudding use the following ingredients, with the method given for the small quantities. Pudding 50g butter 2 rounded household tablespoons golden syrup l 2 cup milk 1 teaspoon baking soda I‘2 cups flour Sauce 1 tablespoon butter 1 rounded household tablespoon golden syrup 1 cup hot tap water teaspoon vanilla (optional) '4 teaspoon butter rum' essence (optional) < 2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional) Steam the uncovered pudding for 15 to 30 minutes. The mixture in a wide shallow bowl takes a shorter time than a pudding-bowl mixture. Steam the covered pudding, in a pudding bowl, for about l>/ 2 hours.