Thursday, February 11, 2010

Steamed Puddings

We were all psyched up for snow yesterday and none came. There were lots of cancellations, kids sent home from school early... no snow. Everyone is kind of puzzled and the weathermen are all a bit sheepish.

Anyway, it was a perfect day for a steamed pudding. Basically it's a cake batter, a little thicker and heavier but still pourable. You put some kind of sauce or syrup in the bottom of a basin, then pour the batter in on top. Cover the basin and put it in a steamer for 2+ hours. To serve, you turn it upside down so the syrup that hasn't soaked in pours down the sides.

Americans don't steam puddings this way, but they should. The cakey part is warm and moist, the syrup part is hot and sweet and the kitchen is full of steam and warmth and goodness. A very satisfying thing to do on a cold winter day, when snow is forcast. Even when it doesn't actually appear.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I love steamed pudding, especially with custard (creme anglaise).

The steamed puddings of my youth, were heavy and made with suet. Treacle pudding, Roly-Poly, Spotted Dick - I loved them all.

The modern versions are much lighter.

Great comfort food, especially in winter.

Vivi said...

Sounds delightful!

Anonymous said...

I think that, even though I'm not doing a steamed pudding for the party (too many people to cook for!), I am very excited to try doing one next week. It's my goal. :)