Sticky Currant, Walnut & Ginger Puddings
Preparation 10 Minutes
Cook 30 Minutes
Serves 6
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease 6 x 1 cup ramekins.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, ginger, salt, and brown sugar. Add currants, walnuts and ginger and toss to coat in the flour mixture. Add the milk and butter, and stir until just combined.
Divide mixture into prepared ramekins and bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
To make the caramel sauce, combine brown sugar and milk in a saucepan and stir well.
Place over medium heat. When bubbles form around the edge of the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 2 – 3 mins, gently swirling the pan but not stirring, until caramel is thickened and is just starting to smell toasty. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in butter and vanilla.
Serve puddings in ramekins, or turn out onto plates. Spoon over the caramel sauce and serve warm – with cream or ice cream if desired.
Tips
Divide batter into 12-hole muffin tin, greased or lined with cupcake papers. Check for doneness from 20 min.
If caramel is made in advance, re-warm over low heat or in the microwave, until smooth and pourable.
Ingredients
2 cups self-raising flour (260 g)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar (160 g)
100 g Sunbeam Australian Currants
50 g Sunbeam Walnuts, roughly chopped
50 g crystalised ginger, finely chopped
1 cup milk (250 ml)
1/4 cup butter, melted (60 g)
CARAMEL SAUCE
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (120 g)
1 1/2 Tbsp milk (30 ml)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (60 g), cut into small cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
Recipe Collection
Christmas Chocolate Fruit Truffles
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Heat cream in small saucepan until just below boiling. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Set aside for 1 minute, then stir until melted.
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Combine 1/2 cup of the currants and half of the hazelnuts in a bowl and set aside for decorating. Place remaining currants and salt in a bowl, pour over the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm enough to roll.
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Scoop tablespoons of the chocolate mixture and use clean hands to roll into balls. To decorate, roll balls in the reserved currant and hazelnut mixture, remaining hazelnuts or coconut. Store in the refrigerator and allow to soften slightly before serving.
Lemon Friands
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease with some butter and dust with additional almond meal 12 x ⅓ cup capacity friand moulds.
- Combine icing sugar, almond meal and flour in a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Stir in the butter and juice. Add to the icing sugar mixture and mix until well combined.
- Pour between prepared moulds and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan and cool completely on a cooling rack. Serve dusted with additional icing sugar.
Christmas Cake Friands (GF)
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease 12 x ⅓ cup capacity muffin pans.
- Place fruit and brandy in a microwave proof dish and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds. Set aside to cool.
- Sift icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in the almond meal and flour.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Mix in the butter and add to the icing sugar mixture. Stirring until well combined.
- Pour mixture between prepared moulds and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans and cool completely on a cooling rack.
- For icing, combine icing sugar and water mixing until smooth. Allow to sit until desired consistency is achieved. Spoon over each cake and finish with lemon rind and raspberries.
Asparagus Pastries
Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Cut each pastry sheets into 4 squares. Mark 1cm in from the edge of pastry to resemble a photo frame. Place on paper lined baking trays.
- Panfry onions in oil for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour in wine and brown sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring continuously. Stir in pine nuts and cool.
- Place heaped spoonfuls of onion mixture into the centre of each pastry square. Arrange mushrooms and asparagus on top. Sprinkle with feta and brush edges with egg. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Serve.
Festive Fruit Cake
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line the base and sides of a 20cm springform cake pan.
Mix nuts, dried fruits, glace cherries, peel in a bowl. Sift in flour, baking powder then stir in sugar. Lightly whisk eggs with vanilla, then stir into the cake mixture until well combined. Pour into pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a rack over a plate and remove baking paper. Pierce all over with a skewer. Drizzle with brandy, then wrap tightly in foil and leave in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days to mature.
For the topping: Soak fruit in Maple syrup, add boiling water to cover and let soften. Closer to serving, warm jam in a pan over low heat or in the microwave until runny. Arrange the maple-soaked fruits over the top of the cake in a decorative pattern, then brush with warm jam to set in place.
Sunshine Pudding
Prepare a 2 litre pudding basin – grease well and double line base with baking paper circles.
- Combine raisins, sultanas, cherries and Cointreau in a bowl and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Place apricots, apricot nectar, orange juice and rind in a small saucepan and simmer covered for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and puree.
- Cream butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sift flours into a large bowl, add butter cake crumbs, macadamias, soaked fruit, pureed apricots and butter mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth the top. Top with baking paper round.
- Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and foil, layer and make a 3cm pleat in the middle of the sheets. Place onto pudding basin and secure with kitchen string.
- Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, a third filled with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place pudding onto rack, making sure the water comes about halfway up basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when needed. Remove from saucepan and stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
- Serve with cream, custard or ice-cream if desired.
Candied nuts decoration:
- Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil until the toffee begins to change colour. Do not stir toffee once it has boiled.
- Working quickly, drop macadamias one at a time into the toffee and toss with a fork to coat, remove and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining macadamias.
- Decorate the top of the pudding and serve.