Harts of Stur Kitchen Issue 6, spring & summer 2018 | Page 18

Harts Kitchen
Citrus and Raisin Suet Puddings
by Christine McFadden
Ingredients
Makes 6 individual puddings
Self-raising flour 350g (12oz)
Baking powder 1½ teaspoons
Sea salt 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon
Shredded suet 160g (5½oz)
Water 225–250ml (8–9fl oz)
Plain flour for dusting
Thick cream or very cold vanilla ice
cream to serve
For the filling
A fortifying suet pudding based on the traditional Sussex pond pudding
– named after the UK county of Sussex and the pond of buttery citrus
juices that appear when the pastry is cut open. My recipe is for small
individual puddings rather than the usual single large one. Suet pastry can
be somewhat leaden, but the combination of self-raising flour and baking
powder gives it the necessary lift. The pudding is usually made with lemons,
but I have used clementines spiked with liqueur-soaked raisins for a sweeter
flavour. Make sure the clementines are sweet and juicy.
Method
1. To make the filling, soak the raisins in the liqueur for 1 hour or longer until
nicely plump. (Use boiling water if you don’t have any liqueur.)
2. Thoroughly grease the six pudding bowls and set aside.
Large raisins 75g (2¾oz)
Orange liqueur such as Cointreau, 5
tablespoons
Unsalted butter 60g (2¼oz), cut into
small chunks, plus extra for greasing
Granulated sugar 50g (1¾oz)
Sweet, juicy clementines 3–4 unpeeled,
cut into chunks no bigger than 1.5cm
( 5 ⁄ 8 in)
You will need:
Six 150ml (5fl oz) foil pudding bowls,
plus six sheets each of baking
parchment and kitchen foil measuring
18x20cm (7x8in), and six pieces of
string long enough to wrap around the
bowls to tie the paper and foil in place.
MAKE IT WITH
Kitchen Craft Anodised Mini Pudding Moulds
7.5cm, Set of Four
These mini pudding moulds are well worth having on hand for
creating petite steaming masterpieces for dinner parties and special
meals. They can also be used for summer puddings, ice cream
bombs and all manner of sweet course delights.
RRP: £13.99
Harts Price: £12.59
3. For the pastry, sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Stir in the
shredded suet with a fork. Gradually stir in the water – just enough to make a
soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead briefly until it comes away from the sides of
the bowl.
4. Weigh the dough, then divide into six equal-sized pieces. Form into balls,
then press into flat discs.
5. Lavishly dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour. Using a saucer
or small plate as a template, roll out the discs into very thin 18cm (7in)
circles. Trim the edges if necessary. Once you have a perfect circle, cut out a
segment (one-third) and set aside to use as a lid.
6. Line the pudding bowls with the larger piece of pastry, overlapping the
edges to seal, pushing it up the sides and slightly over the top. Make sure
the pastry at the bottom is as thin as the pastry up the sides. Press out any
uneven thickness. Trim the edge level with the top of the bowl.
7. Put a small chunk of butter in the bottom of each bowl and sprinkle with a
little sugar. Drain the raisins and mix with the chopped clementines. Fill each
bowl with the mixture, then top with the remaining butter and sugar.
8. Roll the reserved pastry segments into balls and then into circles to form
lids. Place on top of the bowls, trim the edges and crimp with a fork to seal.
9. Place a piece of foil on top of a piece of baking parchment. Holding the
two sheets together, make a pleat down the middle to allow for expansion.
Repeat with the rest of the sheets. Cover each bowl with a pleated pair of
sheets (parchment side down, foil side up), then tie in place with the string.
10. Place the bowls on a trivet in a large deep saucepan. Pour in enough
boiling water to come almost to the top of the trivet. Cover and steam for 1¼
hours on a rolling boil, topping up the water regularly.
11. Remove the bowls from the pan with tongs. Leave to settle for 5 minutes
before removing the string and coverings. Loosen the edge of the pastry with
the tip of a knife, then invert the bowls on to warm serving dishes and slice the
puddings open to let the hot citrusy juices flow. Serve immediately with cream.
About Christine McFadden
Extract taken from Flour by Christine McFadden
(Absolute Press, £26)
Photography © Mike Coop er
Christine, known as The Dorset Foodie, is
a cookery teacher, food writer and recipe
developer. She teaches courses at her home in
Littlebredy, Dorset. For more details go to www.
thedorsetfoodie.co.uk.
Her latest book, Flour, is an in-depth look at this
food staple and includes more than 40 flours,
both wheat and gluten-free, and a host of recipes.
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www.hartsofstur.com