Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients

250g (1 3/4 cup) packed pitted dates
2 cups of water
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 stick (85 g) (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
3 large eggs

For Sauce:

1 3/4  (198 g) sticks of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups of packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep). Shake out excess flour
3. Coarsely chop dates and in a 2-quart saucepan, simmer dates in water, uncovered, for 5 minutes
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda.  (The mixture will foam)
5. Let mixture stand for 20 minutes
6. Sift together in a bowl flour, baking powder, ginger and salt
7. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy and light.
8. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
9. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined
10. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon, stir the batter until just combined well
11. Pour batter into baking pan and set the pan in a water bath
12. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up the sides of the smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean. (35 to 40 minutes)
13. Remove smaller pan from the water bath and cool pudding on a rack

Sauce

1. Make sauce while the pudding is cooling
2. In a 2-quart heavy bottom saucepan, melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar
3. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla (add a teaspoon of rum (optional))
4. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes
5. Cool sauce to warm
6. Cut pudding into squares.  Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.

Nan’s Pudding

This is a traditional side dish with Sunday dinner in Audrey and Tom White’s house in Twillingate.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/4 lb butter
pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
water (enough to make a thick paste a bit stickier than scone dough)
sugar (about 1 tbsp)

Method:

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Crumble butter into dry ingredients.
3. Slowly mix the water in until the right consistency is reached.
4. Press into a round cake pan.
5. I’ll have to ask again how long to bake, but I guess about 15 minutes at 375° C – similar to scones.
6. Place on cooling rack and cut into slices.
7. Serve with Sunday dinner (roast chicken, turkey or beef)  and of course GRAVY!