As an expat parent raising two daughters in foreign lands, I felt a great responsibility to make sure that they learned about the culture and traditions of the countries where we were lived. After all, one of the most valuable lessons we can take away from living overseas is that our way of doing things is not the only way; it may not even be the best way. We learn and we grow as we expand our borders.
I also considered it of grave importance to teach them about their own American heritage and cultural roots from the sweet joys of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to the reasons we value the democratic system and should always exercise our right to vote. This challenge was further expanded by our mixed origins. My husband is British, which meant that, as the person who cooks most of the meals in our family, when it came to passing on food traditions, it fell to me to cover both.
A typically British dessert, steamed sponge puddings were not part of my childhood menu. For that matter, neither was rhubarb! I remember seeing it first in a fruit and veg market in Sydney when I was 24 and wondering to myself, what sort of strange celery was this? My husband, on the other hand, grew up with both.
The first steamed pudding I ever made, and still make to this day, is one we call Granda’s Dumpling. It was shared with me by a dear friend and it is her father’s specialty. It's perfect for Christmas, a pudding full of mixed fruit that reminds me of a very moist fruitcake. For spring, a lighter sponge pudding with rhubarb is more appropriate.
Meanwhile, I've also made up for lost time on the rhubarb front. If you have ready access to rhubarb, you might want to check out some of my other rhubarb-y recipes:
- Rhubarb Nectarine Puff Pastry Tarts
- Apple Rhubarb Strawberry Pie
- Rhubarb Fool Cocktails
- Fresh Rhubarb Muffins
- Rhubarb Apple Ginger Crumble
Fresh Rhubarb Sponge Pudding with Rhubarb Sauce
The glossy pink rhubarb on top of this steamed pudding is a welcome bit of color on a dreary cold day. My recipe is adapted from .delicious magazine, (UK) March 2009 issue. In all, you will need 14 1/2 oz or 480g of rhubarb but I have given the amount divided below to make the recipe easier to follow. No rhubarb? Substitute whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand and adjust the sugar accordingly. This pudding with serve four greedy people and six with more restrained appetites.Ingredients
For the pudding:
2 1/2 oz or 70g rhubarb, trimmed
3 tablespoons golden syrup (See Note)
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
7 tablespoons or 100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing the pudding basin
3/4 cup or 95g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 57ml milk
2 large eggs
Grated zest 1 lemon
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
For the rhubarb sauce:
12 oz or 340g rhubarb, trimmed
1/8 cup or 28g sugar – or more to taste
Grated zest and juice 1 orange
Good pinch salt
To serve: pouring or whipped cream
Note: Golden syrup can be purchased in the international aisle of most large grocery stores. Substitute a cane syrup or amber corn syrup if you cannot find any.
Method
Rinse and dry the rhubarb.
Cut your choicest pieces of rhubarb into lengths that will fit nicely in the bottom of a 4+ cup or 1 liter pudding basin. Cut the rest of rhubarb into bite-size pieces, put it in a medium-sized non-reactive pan and set it aside.
Butter the pudding basin and then add the rhubarb to the bottom, curved side down. Drizzle the golden syrup over it.
Note: If you don't have a pudding basin, you can substitute a stainless steel mixing bowl. It should have a small lip.
Using your electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until they turn light yellow and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Sift in your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. then add the milk. Fold them both in gently.
Spoon the batter into your buttered pudding basin.
Cover the basin with folded parchment paper and secure it with kitchen string. Tie the ends of the string together to create a handle with which to lift the basin and trim any excess parchment.
Put the covered basin in a large pot. Add hot water to the pot till it comes two-thirds of the way up the side of the basin.
Bring the water to a gentle boil then cover the pot and lower the flame to simmer. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Check the water level occasionally and add more as needed.
Meanwhile, make the rhubarb sauce. Add the caster sugar, the orange zest, orange juice and a pinch of salt to the pan where you've saved the cut rhubarb.
Once the pudding steaming time is up, carefully remove the basin from the pot, using your string handle. Set it on a wire rack.
Serve with rhubarb sauce and, if you'd like, pouring cream.
Enjoy!
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