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The proof of the pudding

A pudding is the piece de resistance of a meal

WELCOME DESSERT Pudding

Here are a couple of delicious puddings that can be made at home.

Fruit-Bread Pudding With Orange Foam Sauce

Ingredients

Dates: 50 gm
Cherries: 50 gm
Dried apricots: 50 gm
Raisins: 50 gm
Unsalted butter: 125gm
Castor sugar: 125gm
Grated rind and juice of an orange
Fresh white bread crumbs: 50gm
Self raising flour: 75gm
Caramelised sugar syrup: 3 dessert spoons
Walnuts and apricots: 12 each

(optional)

For orange sauce

Unsalted butter: 25gm
Grated rind and juice of an orange
Plain flour: 1 level dessert spoon
Castor sugar: 50gm
Egg: 1
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp

Method: Finely chop the dried fruits and cherries. Cream together butter and sugar until the mixture becomes fluffy and light. Then add the grated rind of an orange to it. Whisk the eggs lightly and gradually beat them into the butter. Mix the sifted flour into the pudding mixture and lightly fold. Add orange juice and chopped dried fruits and cherries. Grease a pudding bowl. Coat the bottom with sugar syrup and arrange walnuts and apricots in a circle over the syrup. Spoon over the pudding mixture and cover the bowl with buttered foil paper. Tie it securely with a string. Then place it in a steamer or double boil it (an hour on medium heat), till it has risen and set. For the sauce, cream the butter with grated orange rind. Gradually beat in the flour mixed with sugar. Separate the egg yolk and beat it into the butter-flour mixture. Then add orange juice, made up with water to 150ml. Do not worry, if the mixture curdles, it will become smooth again when it is cooked. Double boil, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and the flour is cooked. Remove from fire, cover it with a lid to keep it warm.

Just before serving, fold the stiffly beaten egg white into the sauce, sharpen with a little lemon juice. Transfer the pudding on to a hot serving dish and slice and serve the orange foam sauce separately.

Banana Pudding

Ingredients

For the custard
Corn flour: quarter cup
Milk: 2 cups
Egg yolks: 4 large
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Sugar: half cup
Unsalted butter: 2 tbsp
For the layer

Wafer biscuits (vanilla flavour or orange flavour): 12x3
Ripe bananas: Three-and-a-half (peeled and cut into quarter inch thick slices)
Heavy cream: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Orange juice: 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence: 1 tbsp
For the garnish

Cherries, toasted nuts and raisins

Method: In a chilled bowl, whip the cream until it thickens. Add sugar, vanilla and orange juice, whip to soft, fluffy peaks (make sure all the equipment and the cream are chilled. Use an electric mixer or hand whisk). In a bowl, whisk the quarter cup corn flour into half-cup milk. Let it stand for a minute, and then whisk again. Add egg yolks and whisk again.

In a saucepan, pour milk (one-and-a-half cups) and add sugar. Stir well on medium heat. Add milk-corn flour-egg yolk mixture and stir, keep it on fire till it boils. Mix in the butter, and then remove from fire and strain. Set aside to cool, and then refrigerate. In a square dish, alternately layer vanilla wafers and bananas. The top layer should be vanilla wafer. Pour the custard pudding over this layer and allow it to set. To serve, top it with whipped cream and toasted nuts, cherries and raisins.

LEENA LEON

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