White Chocolate Christmas Puddings
A lighter but equally sumptuous alternative to traditional Christmas puddings
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
4 tbsps maple syrup
100g unsalted butter and extra for greasing
75g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
zest of 1 orange
3 tbsps Cointreau
75g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
75g unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
75g fresh white breadcrumbs
extra maple syrup for drizzling and pistachios for decoration
Method:
You will need 6x150ml metal pudding basins.
Pre-heat the oven to 180/Gas5.
Grease the pudding basins with butter and line each pudding basin
with a square of greased baking parchment big enough to cover the
base of the pudding basin. Divide the maple syrup between
them.
Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat
in the eggs, orange zest and Cointreau. Sift the flour, baking
powder and cinnamon and fold into the butter and egg mixture.
Fold in the pistachios, white chocolate and breadcrumbs.
Spoon the pudding mixture into the pudding basins, until each is
two-thirds full.
Steam the puddings in the pre-heated oven. Place the puddings in a
roasting tin and fill with boiling water to a depth of 3cms. Cover
the top of the roasting tin securely with silver foil greased on
the underside so that I doesn’t stick to the puddings, and
bake for 20 to30 minutes. Check the water level after 15 minutes
and if necessary top up with boiling water.
Turn out and serve with a drizzle of maple syrup, a sprinkling of
pistachios and caramel oranges.
Tips: The cooked puddings can be frozen. Un-mould them when they are still warm and freeze them on a tray.
Caramel Oranges
Ingredients:
2 small oranges
600ml water
200g caster sugar
2 tbsps Cointreau
Method:
Thinly slice the oranges, discarding ends and pips.
Place the water, sugar and Cointreau in a saucepan and heat until
the sugar has dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes and then add the
oranges and simmer until the rind is tender, approx 25
minutes.
Serve warm or cold.
Tips: Jars of caramel oranges make lovely presents. Just fill
sterilized jars with the oranges and make sure that they are
completely covered with syrup, seal and leave to cool.
After opening they should be kept in the refrigerator.