Steamed Apple & Date Pudding with Bay Custard – Recipe

Steamed Apple & Date Pudding with Bay Custard – Recipe

Keep warm on those winter nights with this perfect pud. This recipe serves 6...

Ingredients

 150g dates, stoned and chopped

4 dessert apples, peeled and cored

175g light soft brown sugar

2 eggs

150ml cold-pressed rapeseed oil

150g stoneground wholemeal flour

50g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

 

For the custard:

500ml full cream milk

1 fresh bay leaf

4 egg yolks

40g caster sugar

1 tsp corn flour

 

Method

• Put the dates in a bowl and grate over two of the apples with a coarse grater. Chop the other two apples into small chunks and add to the bowl.

• Whisk the sugar, eggs and oil together with an electric hand whisk for 2-3 minutes until thick.

• Fold in the flours, raising agents and spices, followed by the dates and apple, then scrape the mixture into a buttered pudding basin.

• Make a pleat in a sheet of tin foil, butter one side and cover the pudding basin butter-side-down. Steam the pudding for 2 hours.

• To make the custard, put the milk and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes, then discard the bay leaf.

• Mix together the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour with a rubber spatula, then gradually stir in the infused milk.

• Pour the mixture back into the milk pan and cook over a low heat until the mixture thickens, stirring continuously in a figure-of-8 movement.

• As soon as the custard thickens, remove from the heat and pour into a jug.