Pear and Ginger Steamed Pudding
My school pudding for my Bake Off Challenge was this light and fluffy and decadent Pear and Ginger Steamed Pudding. It is so special, like eating a piece of deliciously flavoured cloud, with treacle. I’d never made it before, but I’m very fond of the combination of pear and ginger, like in my Pear and Ginger Preserve, and thought it would work brilliantly in a dessert. This pudding sure could become a signature of mine!
Ingredients (serves 4 to 6):
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 plump vanilla bean, split lenghtwise
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
Generously butter a pudding basin.
Using a mandolin, carefully slice pear into thin slices. Arrange pear slices around the edge and at the bottom of the basin. Set aside.
Scrape seeds off the vanilla bean, and place both seeds and empty pod into a medium saucepan. Grate half of the fresh ginger (about 1 1/4 tablespoon) into the saucepan. Stir in light brown sugar, Lyle’s Golden Syrup and water, and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes, until syrup just thickens. Strain ginger and vanilla syrup into a small bowl, and let cool.
In a small bowl, combine self-rising flour and baking powder. Give a good stir; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat softened butter and caster sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Grate remaining ginger, you should get about 1 1/4 tablespoon, and beat into the butter mixture until well-incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended. You can add a tablespoon of the flour mixture to prevent splitting, if necessary. Finally, gradually mix in the flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk until smooth and well-blended; but do not overmix. Set batter aside.
Gently pour cooled ginger and vanilla syrup in the bottom of the prepared pudding basin. Then, gently top with the pudding batter, leveling with a rubber spatula.
Cover the pudding with a layer of parchment paper and buttered foil, both pleated in the middle and tie securely with string. Trim off excess paper and foil with scissors.
Put a metal jam lid upside down at the bottom of a large pot to act as a trivet. Place a long double strip of of foil, letting it hang on both edges of the pot, to help you lift the pudding once it is cooked.
Lower the pudding in the pot, sit it in the jam band of foil, on the jam lid. Pour boiling water in the pot until it comes halfway up the pudding basin. Cover with a lid and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat. Once water is boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 2 hours, regularly checking and adding boiling water so it is always halfway up the basin.
When cooked through, lift the pudding out of the pot. Let cool slightly, and carefully turn over serving plate. Serve Pear and Ginger Steamed Pudding with Tonka Bean, Nutmeg and Vanilla Custard.
