Ingredients

Serves 6


For the Sauce:
3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced thinly
200gr unsalted butter
1½ cups tightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup thickened cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the Pudding:
125gr butter
100gr light brown sugar
¼ cup crystallised ginger, very finely chopped
1 egg
Vanilla extract
½ cup milk
1½ cups SR flour

Method

For the sauce:
In a medium sized heavy based saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.

Remove a quarter of the sauce. Add pears to the pot and coat with sauce. Pour into the base of a greased pudding basin (or divide between 6 x 1 cup individual pudding moulds).

For the Pudding:
Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Stir in ginger and then flour and milk alternatively.  Mix until well combined.

Spoon mixture into the pudding basin on top of the caramel pear mixture. Don’t fill the pudding bowl (or individual bowls) more than ¾ full to allow for rising.

Cover tightly with the pudding basin lid or with baking paper and then foil.

Steam in a saucepan of simmering water (sit the pudding on an upturned small plate so that it is not on the bottom of the saucepan) for 1½ hours. If you are making small puddings, you can cover the ramekins with a round of baking paper and steam them in a Chinese bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water for about 45 minutes.

Turn out onto a warm plate and serve with remaining warm butterscotch sauce and thick cream or custard.

Notes
Steamed puddings are simply cake mixtures that are cooked in a sealed vessel placed in a lidded container of simmering water. The perfect winter dessert, you can serve them hot or warm, accompanied by a sauce, cream or ice cream. They are guaranteed to revive genuine childhood pleasure right here and now.

Do:
• Experiment with a variety of containers to create different effects: moulds, china teacups, etc.
• Grease the containers heavily so puddings slip out easily.
• Cream butter and sugar thoroughly for a light-as-air result.
• Remember that puddings can be cooked ahead and then microwaved (covered) for around 30 seconds for each smaller pudding, or around 2 minutes for larger ones, to take the panic out of the timing.
• Experiment with flavours, especially seasonal fruits.

Don't:
• Replenish cooking water with cold water as this will drop the temperature.
• Forget to put a pleat in the paper covering to allow for expansion.
• Feel restricted by traditional flavours.
• Feel restricted to the traditional metal mould with clip lid.
• Deprive your loved ones of this most glorious of desserts!

Twists on tradition
Today's culinary twists give us the best of time-honoured and contemporary cooking:
• Syrup puddings add extra lushness and are limited only by your imagination.
• Try Asian or Middle Eastern flavours, spices and ingredients.
• Try steaming by placing individual puddings in a bamboo steamer set over a wok.
• Try a savoury pudding using a muffin mix, well-flavoured with ingredients like olives,
• semidried tomatoes and herbs.

 

Egg Nog
1 free range egg
1½ teaspoons sugar
½ measure each of brandy, dark rum and madeira or sherry
1 cup milk
⅓ cup cream
Grated fresh nutmeg

Shake in cocktail shaker with ice and strain into glass. Sprinkle with grated nutmeg.