Christmas Sticky Toffee Pudding

 Christmas Toffee Sticky Pudding 

This is a Christmas pudding for Christmas pudding sceptics.  A twist on a classic style classic sticky toffee sponge, it's flavored with the heady combination of tangy clementines and rich brandy.  Serves 8

75g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

150g (2/3 cup) stoned (pitted) dates, roughly chopped

55ml (3 Tablespoons) brandy

100g ( 1/2 cup) light brown soft sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

11/2 tablespoon clear honey

2 clementines, zest and juice

2 eggs

130g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon mixed baking spice

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 dessert apple, peeled, cored, and grated

Double cream or ice cream to serve.

Sauce:

175g (2 cups) golden caster sugar

2 clementines, segmented

100g (1 cup) unsalted butter

50ml (1/4 cup) double cream

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon brandy

Directions:

Preheat oven to 160C (325* F).  Grease a 1 1/2 liter (6 cup) oven proof pudding basin (bowl or mold) and line the base with a circle of parchment paper.  Place the dates, brandy and 175 ml water in a pan and bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring little, until a thick paste has formed; set aside.

Place the butter, sugar, vanilla, honey, and clementine zest, (reserve the juice for the sauce) in a large mixing bowl and beat until pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time beating well with each addition until combined.

In another bowl add the flour, baking soda, spices, and a pinch of salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and fold in.  Gently fold in the date puree and grated apple until combined.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pudding basin, smooth the top and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out almost clean, covering with foil after 30 minutes browning to quickly.  Leave in the basin, on a cooling rack, while you prepare the sauce.

Line a baking sheet tray with parchment paper.  Put the sugar in a frying pan over medium heat.  Heat to dissolve and then bubbling and golden; do not stir.  Take off the heat, swirl in the clementine segments and when completely coated, use a slotted wooden spoon to lift them out onto the prepared baking tray; set aside.  Carefully add the butter, cream, and the reserved clementine juice to the caramel residue in the pan, return to the heat, bring to a simmer and stir together to make a toffee sauce.  Add the salt, and brandy, then take off the heat.

To serve, turn the pudding onto a serving plate.  Spoon over some of the sauce and decorate the top with the caramelized clementine segments.Serve with the remaining sauce and cream or ice cream.

TIP

To top with spun sugar, first lay 2 greased wooden spoons on a sheet of baking parchment.  Make more  caramel by melting 200g caster sugar in a frying pan.  When deep gold, take off the heat, dip in a fork, then take the thread of caramel slowly back and forth over the spoon handles.  When cool, place the spun sugar on top of the pudding.