[Magdalen] Cooking advice - steamed pudding

[Simon Kershaw]

I would say that suet is essential.

Althpugh my grandmother would have bought suet from the butcher as a big
lump of fat, these days it is more accessible in ready-grated form. The
standard brand is Atora -- and I see this is available at amazon.com for
just a few dollars. So you should be able to get it. Unless you have
vegetarians coming I would use the proper beef version.

Granulated sugar will probably be okay, but you might be able to test some
of the grains in the pudding. Caster sugar is a little finar. You can put
granulated sugar in a food processor or blender for a few seconds to make
it more like caster -- but not too long or you'll get icing sugar
(powder).

The choice of material for the pudding basin shouldn't matter too much,
even plastic. A lid is quite useful, and probably usable with a suet
pudding. (I wouldn't use a lid when cooking a steamed sponge pudding
because the pudding will rise or expand, but a suet pudding should be
okay.)

You do want to steam it, either in a proper steamer or suspended over
boiling water in some other way. If making do (as I do) with an ad-hoc
arrangement in a saucepan, do think about how you are going to get the
basin out of the pan when it's cooked. I rig up a string cradle -- two
pieces of string placed as a cross and tie a knot at the cross-point, then
place this under the pudding basin and bring the four ends up and over the
basin and tie loosely at the top to form a handle that you can use to
lower and raise the basin out of pan of boiling water.

simon

Rick Mashburn wrote:
> ObAng content -- Spotted Dick!
>
> Now that I have your attention, Alex and I are in a gourmet group. Our
> next
> dinner is coming up soon and we're in charge of dessert this time around.
> Because this is a group of gay men, I just can't resist cooking Spotted
> Dick with Cream Anglaise.
>
> I've found several recipes online that call for English products such as
> suet and caster sugar. So far as I can tell, those aren't available in
> Texas. Martha Stewart has a good looking recipe that uses butter and
> regular sugar instead.
>
> My questions:
>
> - Will butter and sugar be acceptable substitutes? Or, are suet and caster
> sugar actually available here?
> - We will have to buy a pudding basin as we don't have anything that will
> substitute. There are ceramic and metal (plain and non-stick) versions --
> some with lids. Will the choice of vessel impact the final product?
> - Any other advice with making steamed puddings? We are practicing our
> recipe this weekend.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Peace, Rick
>


-- 
Simon Kershaw
simon at kershaw.org.uk
Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire