Steamed Ginger Pudding with Ginger Sauce

One thing that is done extremely well over here in the UK are steamed puddings, and each area seems to have their own individual specialities. Added to that wonder, is the fact that there are not only sweet ones, but savoury ones as well.

They are all very traditional, and whilst most are made using a suet batter, occasionally you will find one which uses the extravagance of butter!



You can find a very good video here which perfectly illustrates the method of covering and steaming a pudding HERE. It's just brilliant and I couldn't explain it any better if I tried, although I do have a tendancy to use a rubber band to hold the lid on, and then I use the steamer pan that fits on top of one of my saucepans.



Savoury or sweet, there is nothing like a deliciously stodgy steamed pudding to help chase away the February blues! Here is one of our favourites.



A delicious buttery pudding filled with lots of chopped preserved ginger in syrup. We do so love ginger in this house and this tasty pudding is chock full of it's deliciously sweet heat. The sauce is also very scrummily gingery, but if you are feeling lazy you can just serve the pudding with some pouring cream.



Either way it's fabulously scrummy!!!



*Steamed Ginger Pudding with Ginger Sauce*
Serves 4

I think there has to be a ginger pudding or cake or bread recipe for just about every area in the UK. This one comes from Cornwall. It's buttery and moist and has a delicious ginger sauce to serve with it. Or, you can just be lazy and have it with cream.

For the Pudding:
4 ounces butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous half cup)
2 large free range eggs
6 ounces self raising flour (scant 1 1/2 cups)
3 knobs (2 ounces) preserved stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
3 heaped dessertspoons of golden syrup

For the sauce:
300ml of whole milk (1 1/8 cup milk)
1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger
1 ounce butter (1/8 cup)
1 ounce plain flour (1/8 cup)
2 ounces caster sugar (1/4 cup)

Butter a 3 cup pudding basin. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, adding a TBS of the flour after each addition. Fold in the remaining flour and the chopped ginger. Spoon the golden syrup into the pudding basin. Spoon in the cake batter over top. Smooth the top and then cover with a layer of pleated greaseproof paper and another layer of pleated foil wrap. Secure with a rubber band and trim off any excess leaving about an inch belong the rubber band. Place into the top of a steamer pot over steaming water and cover. Steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until done. (Should be well risen and look dry on top.)

While the pudding is steaming you can make the sauce. Place the ginger in the milk and then bring to the boil. Allow to sit and infuse for about half an hour then strain off the milk, discarding the ginger. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a few minutes over low heat. Slowly whisk in the heated and strained milk, whisking constantly until the sauce boils and thickens. Add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Keep warm.

Turn the steamed pudding out onto a pretty plate and pass the sauce seperately. Serve both warm.