Out & About December 2017

OA food & drink

Recipe

Steamed pudding with apples and mincemeat Christmas is coming, so use up any leftover mincemeat from last year in this steamed pudding – or, if you are really organised take the chance to test this year’s batch.

Serves 6 Pudding 200g butter, softened 200g caster sugar 3 eggs 200g self-raising flour 1 tbsp milk 1 tbsp maple syrup Grated zest of 1 orange

Topping 10g butter 1 quince, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks 3 small apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm chunks 1 tbsp orange juice 2 tbsp soft brown sugar

3 tbsp mincemeat 2 tbsp maple syrup

To prepare the topping: • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the quince, cover the pan and cook over a low heat for five minutes. • Add the apples and orange juice and cook for about three minutes, covered, also over a low heat. Stir in the sugar, mincemeat and syrup, remove from the heat and set aside. To make and assemble the pudding: • Grease a 1-litre pudding basin and spoon the topping into the base. • Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand-whisk for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. • Mix in one egg and a tablespoon of flour. Mix in the other two eggs the same way, with a tablespoon of flour each time, then fold in the rest of the flour with a metal spoon. Gently mix in the milk, syrup and orange zest. • Spoon the pudding batter into the basin on top of the mincemeat mixture. Cover the basin with a small circle of greaseproof paper, then tie a larger sheet of greaseproof paper or foil over this and tie it in place securely with a piece of string just below the top of the basin. • Place the basin in a large saucepan. Pour water to a depth of 2cm into the sauce- pan and bring to a simmer. Cover the saucepan and simmer for two hours, checking the water level from time to time and topping it up with boiling water when necessary. • When ready to serve, untie the greaseproof paper. Run a knife around the inside of the basin and invert the pudding onto a place with a slight lip to hold the juices. It should come out easily and the juicy topping will run down the sides. Serve with plenty of cream.

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What’s for dinner? Second helpings by Romilla Arber, £20, directly from the group, or plus p+p www.honestygroup.co.uk

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