Summer Pudding.

150g 6oz blackcurrants.

150g 6oz redcurrants.

150g 6z raspberries.

100g 40z caster sugar.

2 x 15ml spoons water.

5-6 slices bread.

1. Remove all the currants from their stalks, wash all of the fruit and drain in colander.

2. Put all the fruit, sugar and water into a saucepan, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes.

3. Cut away the crusts from the bread, cut all but one slice in half.

4. Arrange the slices in a 600ml pudding basin, press the edges down firmly.

5. Spoon the fruit mixture into the basin, keep a little of the juice for serving.

6. Cover with the whole slice of bread, making sure there are no gaps.

7. Place a saucer on top, and then add a weight- this will press everything together.

8. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge overnight.

9. To serve, turn out onto a plate and cut into wedges, pour over the remaining juice.

Frozen or canned fruit can be used if they are out of season. Can use other fruits also. i.e. strawberries, plumbs, or gooseberries.

Not got a weight, use an unopened can or jar, works just as well.

Treacle Tart.

One of my favourite puddings.

Pastry

6oz 150g Plain flour. (1/2 tsp Xanthan gum for gluten free flour).

1 1/2 oz 30g margarine.

1 1/2 30g white fat.

cold water for binding.

Filling.

4oz 100g golden syrup.

4oz 100g black treacle.

5oz 125g bread crumbs.

2 tsp lemon juice.

1. Preheat oven 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4, grease a  medium pyrex lid/flan ring or sandwich cake tin.

2.  Rub the margarine, fat into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Bind together with the water. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness, place in prepared tin making sure it is to the sides, cut away the excess edge. Place baking balls/large pieces of bread on top of the pastry, place in the oven and blind bake for 7-10 minutes;(doing this will stop the pastry from becoming soggy when the treacle mixture is placed in and baked). Take out and allow to cool while you cook the filling.

3. Warm the syrup, treacle and lemon juice together. Stir in the breadcrumbs, pour the mixture into pastry and decorate using left over pastry.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. take out leave to cool completely. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard.

1 1/2 oz 30g margarine.

1 1/2 30g white fat.

cold water for binding.

Filling.

4oz 100g golden syrup.

4oz 100g black treacle.

5oz 125g bread crumbs.

2 tsp lemon juice.

1. Preheat oven 180C, 350F, Gas Mark 4, grease a  medium pyrex lid/flan ring or sandwich cake tin.

2.  Rub the margarine, fat into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs. Bind together with the water. Roll out on floured surface to 1/2 inch thickness, place in prepared tin making sure it is to the sides, cut away the excess edge. Place baking balls/large pieces of bread on top of the pastry, place in the oven and blind bake for 7-10 minutes;(doing this will stop the pastry from becoming soggy when the treacle mixture is placed in and baked). Take out and allow to cool while you cook the filling.

3. Warm the syrup, treacle and lemon juice together. Stir in the breadcrumbs, pour the mixture into pastry and decorate using left over pastry.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown. take out leave to cool completely. Serve with cream, ice cream or custard.

Apple Crumble.

50g 2oz butter/margarine.

100g 4oz Plane flour.

50g 2oz oats.

25g 1oz sugar.

75g 3oz sugar (sprinkling over apples).

2-3 cooking apples. (blackberries, apricots, raspberries, peaches, nectarines or plums can be used; don’t need to use cinnamon with these; only a light dusting sugar with peaches, nectarines and apricots).

Cinnamon (sprinkling over apples).

 

1. Preheat oven to 190C, 400F Gas mark 5

2. Crumble mix.  Rub the butter/margarine into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the oats and 1oz sugar until mixed in well.

4. Peel and core the apples and slice thinly, placing a layer in the bottom of an oven proof dish, sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon over the top, carry on doing this until all the apples are used.

5. Place the crumble mix over the apples, place in the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes.

 

Serve with pipping hot custard or ice cream.

Chocolate pudding.

This pudding does not contain eggs.

60 g 2 1/2  oz butter/margarine.

1/2 cup SR Flour,

1/2 tsp Xanthan gum. (gluten free)

1 tbsp cocoa powder.

3/4 cup caster sugar.

1 tsp vanilla essence.

oil for greasing oven dish.

Chocolate sauce.

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar.

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp icing sugar.

2 cups boiling water.

Oven at 180C, 350F gas mark 4.

1. Place large pan over medium heat. Add butter/margarine and milk until melted.

2. Remove pan from heat and place on wooden board. Sift flour and cocoa powder into medium  mixing bowl, stir caster sugar and vanilla essence into warm butter/margarine and milk. Stir in cocoa mixture until mixed together.

3. Lightly oil oven proof dish (should be big enough to hold 6 cups of mixture). Pour chocolate mixture into dish.

4. Using spoon push the brown sugar and extra cocoa through sieve over the chocolate mixture.

5. Gradually pour the boiling water over the back of wooden spoon onto chocolate mixture. Place bowl in oven and bake for 50 minutes, to make sure pudding is cooked, gently push a skewer into pudding, if it comes out clean it is cooked, if skewer is sticky cook for further 5 minutes until skewer is clean.

Serve warm with custard, cream or ice cream.

Apple Pie.

Filling.

4 large cooking apples. (Alternative filling. raspberries, plums, cherries (stoned), gooseberries, blackberries).

2 oz 50g sugar.

Ground Cinnamon. (sprinkling over apples).

Pastry.

12 0z 350g SR Flour

3oz 75g margarine.

3oz 75g white fat.

water.

Milk to glaze.

Oven at 180c. 350F gas mark 4. Grease Pyrex dish lid.

1. Rub margarine, fat and flour together in mixing bowl until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add water bring together to form a ball. Place in fridge.

2. Peel, core and slice the apples.

3. Roll out 1/2 pastry to 1/2 inch thick, place in pyrex lid, gently press in and trim edges.

4. Layer the apple slices sprinkling sugar and cinnamon on top of each layer.

5. Roll out remaining pastry 1/2 inch thick, place on top, seal by pinching pastry between thumb and index finger, brush milk over top, make a slit with small knife in the top (lets out steam during cooking). Bake for 30-40 minutes until pastry is golden brown, serve with custard, cream/ ice cream.