Gourmet Britain

This recipe is far removed from a school pudding. It can be cooked in advance and reheated in the steamer or microwave, but is lighter if cooked freshly. A few minutes longer in the steamer while your guests finish their main courses, will do no harm at all. Serve with "Chocolate Sauce".

Equipment needed:

6 dariole moulds, ramekins or small tea cups;

a steamer big enough to hold the above;

or one pudding basin.

Tin foil to cover the puddings/pudding.

 

Ingredients for 6:

 
• 4 oz/120gr Unsalted Butter
 
• 4 oz/120gr Caster Sugar
 
• 3 medium Eggs, lightly beaten
 
• 1 oz/30mg Ground Almonds
 
• 4 oz/120gr Self-Raising Flour, sieved
 
• 2 oz/60gr Cocoa Powder, sieved
 
• 2 fl oz/50ml Sweet or Medium Sherry
 
• A little Butter to grease the moulds/mould
 
• 6 Square of good-quality Plain Chocolate (50% Cocoa Mass content or higher)

Method:

 
1. Smear a little butter around your chosen moulds/mould, and set aside.
 
2. Cream the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon, until smooth.
 
3. Mix in the ground almonds, followed by the flour, cocoa, sherry and eggs. Gently stir until the mixture is smooth.
 
4.  Share the mixture between the basins, pushing one piece of chocolate into the centre of each pudding, so it's covered by the mixture – or just the one if you prefer (inserting the chocolate as a 'clump' in the same way..
 
5. Cover the containers with lightly-buttered foil and loosely fix down around the edges.
 
6. Steam for about 90 minutes (for individual puddings) or 2 hours for one big one; being careful that the steamer water doesn't dry up.

 

Turn out and serve, covered in "Chocolate Sauce"