We were invited to some friends this afternoon for coffee(Herbal tea) and cake. I've known Jan for about 8 or 9 years now, but this was the first time we would be meeting in person.
We've talked many times on the telephone and exchanged many e-mails, and I don't know why exactly it took so long for us to get together . . . but it finally happened. I was so excited to be finally meeting her.
I wanted to bring something with me so I decided to bake us some lovely Blueberry Muffins. (Y'all know how much I love blueberries!)
Like the lemon that I am . . . I left them sitting on the counter top and never realized I had forgotten them until we were almost there. So I quickly picked up a nice box of chocolates in a convenience store on the way and ended up arriving muffin-less . . .
I know . . . all together now . . . What am I like???
Nevertheless we had a lovely visit with each other and even the guys got along well. If she enjoyed me even half as much as I enjoyed her, then it was a success, I'd say.
We're meeting again for Thanksgiving. We're both Canadian and agree that sharing Thanksgiving with a European is not quite the same as sharing it with a fellow Canuck. I can't wait! It's just going to be the best Thanksgiving!!!
She had baked a lovely carrot cake, so we didn't exactly miss the muffins . . . but I sure would have loved to be able to share them with her and her lovely husband.
These are truly the best Blueberry Muffins ever.
Adapted from a recipe in my King Arthur Flour Baking book, they always bake up nice and light and are so moist and flavourful. We just love them.
I like to rub my lemon zest into my sugars when I am using lemon zest. It's a little trick I learned from my mate Dorie Greenspan. It just makes anything with lemon zest in it taste even lemonier!
Or at least I think it does . . . and it smells good enough to eat while you are rubbing it in . . . and you haven't even started to really cook yet!
I like to use lots of berries, and do use more than the recipe calls for, but you can feel free to use as many or as few as you want. You can even mix up the berries and use a combination.
That is quite yummy too. Rich and buttery, and stogged full of lots of berries, these muffins are real winners . . . and that little cap on the top of buttery rich lemon icing doesn't hurt either.
It's like the icing on a very delicious cake, only better, coz . . . it's a muffin, and . . . you know, its just for you.
*Glazed Blueberry Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
If you don't think these are the best blueberry muffins ever, I'll eat my hat!
the finely grated zest of two unwaxed lemons
95g of golden caster sugar (1/2 cup)
60g of light brown muscovado sugar (1/3 cup)
57g of unsalted butter, softened (1/4 cup_
60ml of sunflower oil (1/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
265g of plain flour (2 2/3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
250ml of whole milk (1 cup)
150g of fresh blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
For the glaze:
3 TBS butter, melted
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
the juice of half a lemon
hot water as needed
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Lightly grease a medium size muffin tin, or line with paper liners. Set aside.
Combine both sugars in a large bowl. Rub in the lemon zest with your fingertips until it is quite fragrant. (A little trick I learned from Dorie.) Drop in the butter and cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well together. Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Combine all well together. Fold in the blueberries. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan while you make the glaze.
Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzelable, adding only enough hot water as needed to get the right consistency. Dip the warm muffins into the glaze one at a time, glazing the tops and letting any excess drip off. Place onto a wire rack and allow the topping to set.
Serve warm or cool. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and use within two days.
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
If you don't think these are the best blueberry muffins ever, I'll eat my hat!
the finely grated zest of two unwaxed lemons
95g of golden caster sugar (1/2 cup)
60g of light brown muscovado sugar (1/3 cup)
57g of unsalted butter, softened (1/4 cup_
60ml of sunflower oil (1/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
265g of plain flour (2 2/3 cups)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
250ml of whole milk (1 cup)
150g of fresh blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
For the glaze:
3 TBS butter, melted
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
the juice of half a lemon
hot water as needed
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Lightly grease a medium size muffin tin, or line with paper liners. Set aside.
Combine both sugars in a large bowl. Rub in the lemon zest with your fingertips until it is quite fragrant. (A little trick I learned from Dorie.) Drop in the butter and cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well together. Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Combine all well together. Fold in the blueberries. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan while you make the glaze.
Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzelable, adding only enough hot water as needed to get the right consistency. Dip the warm muffins into the glaze one at a time, glazing the tops and letting any excess drip off. Place onto a wire rack and allow the topping to set.
Serve warm or cool. Store any leftovers in an airtight container and use within two days.
One place I have not really visited yet during the 12 years I have been here in the UK is Scotland, not unless you count a flying visit up to Gretna Green one day while we were on Holiday one year in Cumbria.
It was only about an hour from where we were staying so we thought why not. It wasn't Scotland proper, even though it was truly an interesting place to see.
I have always had a certain amount of affinity for the Scots . . . probably due to my latent Scottish Ancestry . . . and to the sight of both Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in kilts. Be still my heart.
I have always had a certain amount of affinity for the Scots . . . probably due to my latent Scottish Ancestry . . . and to the sight of both Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in kilts. Be still my heart.
Do you think Scottish men really looked as good as all that way back when?? I dunno, but I sure like to think that they they did!
Yes, I also hold a certain yearning and love in my heart for historical romance novels about Scottish Lairds and clansmen . . . and Vikings . . . but we won't go there today, we're talking about the Scots.
The Scots are known for having wild temperaments, fabulous accents, huge calves, hairy cows . . . and their appetites for strange and unusual foods . . . like Haggis, Tatties and Neeps . . . and deep fried Mars Bars.
I have never tried anything but the vegetarian Haggis, and it was quite good . . . likewise the Tatties and Neeps . . .
I don't think my heart could withstand the onslaught of a deep fried Mars Bar . . . but they do sound oddly appealing in a gluttonous sort of way!
Today I learned about a favourite hearty snack which hails from the bonny bonny land up North of us . . . Macaroni Cheese Pies.
Yes! Macaroni Cheese Pies!!
Think of it . . . your favourite supper dish . . . except in a pie.
Deliciously rich macaroni and cheese . . . all rich and moreishly cheesy . . . baked in a crisp and brown, hot water pastry crust.
Apparently every baker has their own delicious version.
This is mine. I like to use a combination of cheeses in my macaroni cheese. A nice strong well flavoured cheddar, some Red Leicester for colour and taste . . . and some sharp Parmesan for yet another layer of flavour.
I make my sauce extra rich with the addition of a bit of single cream, which helps to loosen the sauce just a little bit and give it additonal scrumminess.
This hot water pastry is very easy to make. I don't think I've made pastry that was this easy to make before. I had never attempted to even try, always thinking that it must be very difficult, but it wasn't difficult at all, or even labour intensive.
It is what is often used to make raised pork, chicken or ham pies . . . very sturdy and crisp . . . and forgiving. I baked my pies in stainless steel cooking rings, about 4 inches in diameter and about 2 inches tall, but you can use pie tins if you want.
Individual ones are best, or you could even use large muffin tins or individual ramekins.
They're really rather tasty I think, although I cannot imagine eating one as a snack. To me this is a meal.
Delicious served hot, straight out of the oven with some rustic chips and ketchup on the side . . . or even at room temperature, making them the perfect portable lunch.
I do hope you will give them a try. I think you'll be most pleasantly surprised. Next time I think I'll add little bits of ham or crisp bacon to the mix, or broccoli, maybe a bit of chopped tomato.
Or how about some crumbled Stilton and Walnuts?? Sounds positively scrummy!
Apparently this is a favourite snack from Scotland. You can use your own favourite macaroni and cheese recipe or the one I have posted here. You will want to make your macaroni and cheese first so that it can be cold when it comes time to put it into the pies.
For the macaroni cheese:
2 TBS butter
2 TBS plain flour
250ml of whole milk (1 cup)
50ml of single cream (1/4 cup)
1/2 pound of grated cheese (a good strong Cheddar, Red Leicester, Parmesan)
(In whatever quantities you want, I basically use 1/2 cheddar, and 1/4 of each of the other two)
a healthy splash of hot sauce (Tabasco, etc.)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
150g of macaroni, cooked as per package directions, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
For the pastry:
250g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
3/4 tsp salt
50g of solid white shortening, or lard (1/4 cup)
125ml of boiling water (1/2 cup)
More grated cheese to top
First make the macaroni and cheese. To make the sauce place the butter into a saucepan over medium heat. Melt and once it just begins to foam, whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Whisk in the cheeses a bit at a time, allowing each addition to melt before adding the next. Stir in the hot sauce and seasonings. Taste and adjust as necessary. Stir in your cooked and drained macaroni. Cover with a piece of cling film and set aside to cool completely.
To make your pastry. Measure the flour into a bowl along with the salt, whisking both together. Drop the fat in bits over top. Pour the boiling water in all at once and stir quickly together with a fork until well blended. Once you can easily handle it, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently until smooth. Cover with the bowl and allow to rest for five minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400*C/200*F/ gas mark 6.
Take 6 metal pastry rings, about 4 inches in diameter, and place them onto a baking tray. Roll your pastry out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds large enough to fit into the metal rings with a bit of overhang. Carefully fit the pastry into the rings, pushing it into the sides at the bottom all the way around with your knuckles to fit. Once you have them lined properly, take a rolling pin and roll it across the tops to cut any excess pastry away. Discard any excess. Fill each of the rings with a portion of the macaroni cheese, filling them to just below the pastry edge. Sprinkle each with some more grated cheese.
Bake in the heated oven for about 35 minutes, or until a rich golden brown. Loosen the edges of the metal rings with a sharp knife and allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing the metal rings to serve.
Best served hot or warm with some tomato ketchup and chips (French Fries) on the side.
Hooray for autumn and all those lovely apples that are now being offered at road stands and in the produce departments of the local shops. Not French Apples either, but beautiful, sweet delicious fresh British Apples. Perfect for eating out of hand, cooking into sauces and chutnies . . . and for baking into lovely pies, tarts, muffins and cakes. Cakes like this beautiful one I am showcasing here today.
This is a deliciously different cake, baked from an old traditional recipe which is Irish in origin. What makes it different you ask??? Well . . . this is a cake that is a cross between a cake and a scone . . .
The method used to make the cake batter is very similar to the same method you would use when making traditional scones . . . rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips until crumbly. Stirring in the wet ingredients with a round bladed knife to make a soft dough . . . but that is where the similarity ends. It bakes up into a deliciously moist cake . . . not a sturdy scone.
I guess you could say that is is also similar to a pie, because you have both a top and a bottom crust, with a delicious apple filling sandwiched in the middle . . . the top and bottom crusts melting together at the edges, and then baking in and around the apples, to form one of the tastiest cakes ever!!
At one time this cake would have been placed into an iron pot oven, with burning coals topping the pot . . . the pot situated close to the open fire on a rustic Irish cottage hearth . . .
Oh what a romantic image that inspires . . . I can almost see it now . . . the flames from the open fire licking up and down the walls . . . the light flickering on the dark cottage walls . . . the smell of smoke mingled with that beautiful smell of baking cakes . . . apples . . . and spice . . .
Alas, we have no open hearth . . . simply an electric oven and a deep flan tin but nevermind . . . it still tastes pretty darn good!!!
Served warm with lashings of warm custard . . . this was the perfect rainy day teatime treat.
*Irish Apple Cake*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe
A delicous version of an apple cake, baked with tasty apple slices sandwiched in the centre. Serve warm with or without custard.
225g self raising flour (generous 2 cups)
(You may need extra
so don't put the flour away just yet)
115g butter (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
115g caster sugar (9 1/2 TBS)
3 fluid ounces milk
Filling:
2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
57g soft light brown sugar (4 1/2 TBS)
Topping:
a little beaten egg
1 level TBS of caster sugar
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a deep flan tin, with a loose bottom, roughly 9 inches in diameter. set aside.
Place the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb texture. Stir in the sugar. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix together with a round bladed knife. If the dough seems a bit too sticky add a bit more flour. You want a soft dough, but not a sticky one. Turn out onto a floured board and cut the dough in half. Place half of the dough into the flan tin, pressing it in with floured fingers to evenly cover the bottom of the dish. Spread the apple slices evenly over the base, leaving a bit of an edge all the way around. Sprinkle with the soft light brown sugar and the cinnamon. Carefully roll out the remaining half of the dough into a circle roughly the same size as the dish. Place on top of the apples, pressing the edges together with the bottom crust. Cut several slits in the top of the cake for ventilation.
Brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle the TBS of caster sugar evenly over top. Bake for 35 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
Place the tin on top of a jar and push the sides of the pan down and remove. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to warm before cutting into wedges to serve.
If there's anything else that goes very well on a rainy day with a cake such as this, it is a nice hot cup of herbal tea. Today we were supping on beautiful cups of Fruit Medley Tea which was sent to us from Adagio Teas. A delicious herbal blend of rose hips, hibiscus, apple pieces, natural strawberry flavour and strawberries, orange peel and natural wild cherry . . . soooo good, almost addictive and soooo good for you! A wonderfully aromatic and flavourful blend which contains nothing artificial, no sweeteners, and totally caffeine free.
Adagio Teas recently sent me a lovely assortment of their herbal tea range . . . all lovely. We've really been enjoying these lovely blends . . .
Lemon Grass . . . with a delicate Meyer lemon taste, as well as a slight hint of sweet ginger, and very aromatic floral fragrance. Smooth and fragrant. It felt very soft in the mouth, not astringent at all with a lovely clean finish. Very Thai . . . an uplifting, yet naturally caffeine free tea.
Blood Orange . . . another favourite with a deep vibrant colour and sweet tangy flavour . . . and yet without sugar. It's a combination of orange peels, hibiscus flowers, rose hips and natural orange flavour. Very, very rich and tangy . . . just lovely. (I used to love Constant Comment tea when I drank black teas . . . and this really reminded me of that.)
Rooibos Vanilla . . . this lovely rooibos tea combines that beautiful and rich sugary scent of vanilla, combined with the fruity juiciness from the rooibos, altogether almost dessert-like . . . but without the calories. A cookie you can drink, and not gain an ounce on your hips.
White Blueberry . . . you know how much I love Blueberries . . . a premium white tea, combined with the taste of juicy blueberries. The Canuck in me loved this both warm as a hot drink . . . but also cold as an iced tea. It had a clean refreshing taste . . . most delectable.
You would think that all those lovely herbal blends would be enough . . . but no, they also sent me a beautiful little gift set of "Love Petals." This is a sweetly presented set of three delicious sounding teas in gorgeously romantic looking rose printed tins . . . Ripe for Romance (a mix of black tea, cocoa nibs, raspberry leaves, raspberry pieces, and natural chocolate and raspberry flavours. Sounds nummy.) Sweet Nothings (a mix of white tea, sunflower petals, lavender buds, apricot bits, and natural peach flavour) Hugs and Kisses (A mix or rooibos, rose petals, cornflowers, and natural vanilla, almond, cream and caramel flavours.) I have not tried these yet, but they do sound delicious and those tins are just beautiful. I think these would be a lovely gift for someone special.
Wow, nice . . . I can hear you thinking that. But that is not all . . .
They also sent me this really neat little tea steeper! The ingenuiTEA is a really nice looking piece of kit which promises to be the most convenient tea pot you will ever find anywhere.
From their page: The most convenient teapot you will find anywhere - we guarantee it. When tea is ready, simply place it atop your cup. This will cause a valve at the bottom to release: crystal-clear tea flows down, while the mesh filter retains all the leaves with one of the best infusers on the market. Super easy to clean and dishwasher safe - perfect for the office or the road. You will wonder how you got along without one.
Can it live up to it's promise??
Very simple, easy to read and great instructions on it's use clearly printed on the side
of the box.
Boiled water added to the tea.
Steep for the required time.
Placed over the cup, it empties itself into the cup. Just make sure your cup is large enough to take the amount of liquid in the teapot . . . or else it will over flow! (That happened to me the first time I used it! DUH!)
A beautiful, well steeped, delicious flavoured cup, of hot, warming, comforting tea.
What more could you want??
Many thanks to Stepas and Adagio Teas for affording me this lovely chance.
What can I say . . . I'm hooked. These herbal blends are quite, quite fabulous!
I just love this time of year, especially when you get a beautiful sunny day like today . . . the air is clean and fresh . . . it's somewhat warm, with a faint hint of cripsness . . . a tiny reminder that the cold days are not too far ahead, but for today . . . the sun has decided to come out and play and we enjoy . . .
I love that the nights are cooler, so we can sleep better. I love that crispness in the air . . . I love the huge variety of fresh vegetables and fruits that are now coming into their own. Summer's last hurrah before the big sleep . . . I love that the things we eat are getting a little bit heavier . . . and warming.
Our vegetable garden actually did quite poorly this year. We hardly got anything out of it. The things we grew in containers did ok . . . but the stuff we put in the ground were to all intents and purposes a huge failure . . . what didn't rot the snails and slugs ate.
On the positive side though, our berries did beautifully! We had a huge abundance of them, which I just loved, especially the blueberries. They did very well, as did the raspberries. We bought a few more plants today at the garden centre, two blueberries, two raspberries (A red and a gold this time) and another gooseberry bush. WE love our fruit.
This lovely cake/traybake is a beautiful way to showcase your autumn berries. You can use a variety like I have done here today, or you can use just one or two, whatever you have. Currants are also lovely in this, especially the black ones.
A buttery moist batter, lightly spiced and rich with ground almonds, wraps itself around each little jewel like berry . . . flaked almonds sprinkled across the top get all golden brown and toasted . . . the demerara sugar which you sprinkle on just as it comes out of the oven, gives it a deliciously sweet crunch.
Altogether it makes for a very moreish tray bake I would say . . . very moreish indeed! Perfect with some pouring cream drizzled over top . . . or served warm with ice cream. A dollop of clotted cream perhaps??? Some lightly sweetened mascarpone??? Pick your own poison.
You will want to eat this up within two days . . . not a problem, as you'll probably find yourself going back for a second slice later on after everyone's gone back to bed . . . a la Nigel-la . . . OK . . . so I am a glutton.
As Dorcas would say . . . "Cake . . . it's my only weakness . . ."
*Autumn Berry Tray Bake*
Makes 9 to 12 servings
Printable Recipe
A delightful traybake cake filled with autumn berry goodness!!
225g of unsalted butter, room temp (1 scant cup or 15 1/2 TBS)
225g golden caster sugar (1 cup plus 2 3/4 TBS fine sugar)
4 large free range eggs
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
150g of self raising flour (1 cup plus 5 1/2 TBS)
75g ground almonds (14 TBS almond meal)
200g of fresh berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, tayberries and blueberries) (about 2 cups)
3 TBS flaked almonds
demerara sugar for sprinkling on top
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and line a 9 by 12 inch tray bake tin with baking paper. Butter the paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the extracts and ground spices. Beat the eggs together and then add them a little at a time, beating them into the creamed mixture until thoroughly amalgamated. (If the mixture begins to curdle, whisk in 1 TBS of your flour) Whisk together the flour and ground almonds. Fold this mixture into the creamed mixture with a large spoon, folding until no streaks of flour are visible. Gently fold in the berries. Spread this mixture carefully into the prepared tin. (If you have used frozen berries the batter will be quite stiff.) Smooth over the top and then sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until well risen and golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Dust lightly with demerara sugar just as you are removing it from the oven.
Allow to cool on a wire rack. Lovely served still warm, cut into squares, dusted with icing sugar along with some pouring cream.
Apricot & Prune Puddings with a Lemon & Butterscotch Sauce and Jane Austin . . .
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Apricots and prunes have a natural affinity for each other. One is rich, sticky and sweet, almost toffee-like . . . the other plump and almost tart . . . and in it's dried state . . . nicely chewy, almost leathery. Steep them in some tea or sherry . . . and they take on an almost angelic texture . . . most satisfyingly moreish.
They quite simply . . . belong together . . . much like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy . . .
I love puddings . . . that is what they call dessert over here . . . pudding . . . It's one of the things that I love most about this country . . . these different little words and phrases that are used to describe the ordinary. This word "pudding" has such a deliciously beckoning sound . . . much more so than "dessert," don't you think???
Or maybe it is just because I am from away. It just sounds so very proper . . . so very British. Just saying the word makes me feel like an beautiful Austinish heroine . . . hiking across the wind swept moors in the company of an equally handsome gentleman . . . of high rank and civility of course, the chaperone trailing behind in our wake. Most proper . . . indeed.
"I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter into all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both." ~Marianne Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility
I would like to propose here that it would also be quite impossible to be happy with a man who didn't enjoy a good pudding . . . a properly delicious pudding . . . a pudding which strokes your sense and sensibilities . . . and makes you sigh with delight. (every pun intended . . . )
Nothing does that more than an individual pudding, perfectly sized just for you . . . as it were always meant just for you, no sharing allowed . . . oh well . . . perchance you could share a small bite, but that's all . . . let's not be totally greedy.
These are the perfect pudding. Light, buttery and moist, with just a hint of spice. Stogged full of lovely, jewel-like, almost soporific . . . tender chunks of sherry steeped apricots and prunes . . . lightly blanketed in a not too rich or decadent, but utterly sublime . . . butterscotch sauce, with just a merest hint of lemon flavor . . .
Perfect for a showery, grey and very autumnal day in late September . . .and most especially perfect for indulging in after a long walk in the cool autumn air . . . and most certainly to be enjoyed along with a certain gentleman of the utmost repute.
"A man does not recover from such devotion of the heart to such a woman! he ought not; he does not."
Captain Frederick Wentworth, Persuasion
*Apricot & Prune Puddings with a Lemon & Butterscotch Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Delicious little cakes, buttery and moist and stogged full of chopped apricots and prunes, served with a creamy butterscotch flavoured sauce.
5 ready to eat prunes, coarsely chopped
5 ready to eat dried apricots, coarsely chopped
2 TBS medium-dry sherry
120g of unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
pinch salt
5 1/2 TBS light Muscovado sugar, packed (can use soft light brown in a pinch)
6 TBS golden caster sugar (unrefined fine sugar)
2 medium free range eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
120g self raising flour (1 cup)
For the sauce:
50g of softened butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g of light muscovado sugar (4 TBS packed)
50g of golden syrup (2 1/2 TBS)
1/2 tsp vanilla paste
fresh lemon juice to taste (approximately 1/2 lemon)
125ml of double cream (1/2 cup heavy cream)
Preheat the oven to 16-*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter and flour 4 individual sized pudding basins, or ramekins, each holding about 1 cup. Tap out any excess flour. Set onto a baking tray.
Put the chopped fruits into a small bowl along with the sherry to macerate. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time until thoroughly amalgamated. If the mixture starts to split or curdle, beat in a bit of the flour. Whisk together the flour and cinnamon. Fold this into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the macerated fruit along with any juices. Divide the mixture evenly between the 4 prepared pudding basins. (Don't fill any more than 2/3 full) Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly touched.
To make the sauce, gently heat the butter, sugar, and syrup over medium low heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Whisk in the vanilla paste and remove from the heat. Whisk in the lemon juice to taste. Whisk in the cream. Set aside and keep warm.
Tip the puddings out into individual pudding bowls while still warm. (Run a thin knife around the edges of them, flip them upside down over the bowls and gently tap. They should slip right out if you have buttered and floured them properly.) Spoon a bit of the warm sauce over each and serve immediately.
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