Canadian National Steamed Apricot Pudding Recipes

APRICOT PUDDING

Steps:

• Set a round wire rack in bottom of large stockpot. Set a 5-cup pudding basin or ovenproof bowl on rack. Fill pot with enough water to come about three-quarters of the way up the sides of the basin. Remove basin; dry, and butter inside. Set aside. Cover pot, and bring to a boil.
• Put apricots, brandy, and 1/2 cup water into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, until apricots are very soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup apricots. Carefully puree remaining apricot mixture in a food processor (you should have about 1/2 cup); let cool 10 minutes.
• Cut reserved apricots into 1/2-inch pieces; return to saucepan. Add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a simmer; cook until liquid is nearly evaporated. Pour mixture into prepared basin, and set aside.
• Butter a 10-inch round of parchment paper; set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
• Put remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the lime zest into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in lime juice.
• Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the apricot puree and milk. Transfer batter to prepared basin.
• Place parchment round, buttered side down, over basin. Make a pleat in center of parchment. Cover with an 11-inch round of foil. Make a pleat in the center of the foil to allow room for pudding to expand. Cut a piece of twine about 7 feet long. Wrap twine twice around basin over foil, just below lip. Knot to secure. Tie loose ends to twine on other side of basin, creating a handle.
• Lower pudding into boiling water; cover pot. Return to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Steam until an instant-read thermometer inserted into pudding registers 180 degrees, about 1 1/2 hour, adding boiling water occasionally to maintain level.
• Transfer pudding to a wire rack. Remove foil and parchment. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of bowl to loosen, and invert pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm, with ice cream or creme anglaise if desired.

APRICOT STEAMED PUDDING

Steps:

• In a 1 1/2-quart glass or ceramic souffle dish, stir together the apricots, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power for 7 minutes. Prick plastic wrap to release steam.
• Remove from oven, and uncover. Scrape mixture into a blender, and puree. Scrape down sides of blender. Add lemon juice, and blend until smooth. Put puree into a medium bowl, and let stand 15 minutes or until cool.
• Place a 2-quart souffle dish on parchment paper. Lightly trace around the base with a pencil. Cut out the paper disk just inside the pencil marking. Grease the dish and both sides of the paper using 1 tablespoon of the butter.
• Place the remaining sugar and butter in the work bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. With processor running, add the eggs one at a time to combine. Add the apricot puree, and process until completely incorporated.
• Return apricot mixture to the bowl, and gently fold in the bread crumbs until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared souffle dish. To remove the air bubbles, firmly rap dish on counter. Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap. Cook 12 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from the oven, and uncover. Cover with a heavy plate, and let stand for 15 minutes. Unmold; remove parchment paper, let cool about 5 minutes and serve.

STEAMED CARROT PUDDING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the carrots, potatoes, raisins, dates and nuts. , Pour into a well-greased 6-cup pudding mold or metal gelatin mold. Cover with foil. Place on a rack in a stockpot. Add 1 in. of boiling water to stockpot; cover and boil gently for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, replacing water as needed. Let stand for 5 minutes before unmolding., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in water until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir in the butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Serve with warm pudding.

AS-YOU-LIKE-IT STEAMED PUDDING

Steps:

• Generously grease a 1.2-litre pudding basin and put your chosen topping in the base. Boil a kettle of water. To prepare your steamer, put a snugly fitting upturned bowl in the base of a large, deep saucepan, big enough to hold the pudding.
• Put the ingredients for the sponge in a food processor and blend until smooth (but don't overwork the mix), then tip into the pudding basin. Cover with a lid made of baking parchment and foil, and tie with string to secure (see step-by-step). Stand the pudding on the upturned bowl in your saucepan. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the pudding basin. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat to a gentle simmer and leave to steam for 2½ hrs, topping up with boiling water if the level gets too low.
• Check the pudding is cooked by inserting a skewer through the foil and parchment lid into the centre of the pudding. If the skewer still has some wet mixture on it, return the pudding to the steamer for a further 15-20 mins, then check again. Once cooked, uncover and turn the pudding onto a plate. Serve straight away with custard, if you like.

STEAMED GINGER PUDDING WITH APRICOT JAM

Steps:

• Butter a 5-cup heatproof pudding basin or mixing bowl. Cut a parchment circle to fit top of bowl; butter. Fill a large pot fitted with a steamer or pasta insert with enough water to come halfway up bowl (test this with an empty bowl); set aside.
• Stir together flour, baking powder, and ground ginger in a small bowl. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches. Add chopped ginger, honey, and milk; mix until just combined.
• Spoon jam into bottom of prepared bowl. Pour batter on top; smooth with a spatula. Cover bowl with prepared parchment, buttered side down. Place a tea towel on top, and secure with kitchen twine. Knot opposing corners of towel together on top of bowl.
• Bring water in prepared pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Carefully lower pudding bowl into steamer; cover pot. Reduce heat to medium-low. Steam 2 hours, checking occasionally to make sure water doesn't completely evaporate. Transfer to a wire rack; remove towel and parchment. Let cool 10 minutes. Run a small knife around edge of bowl; invert pudding onto a plate. Serve warm.