We have a running joke in my family about pudding. It was the end of a lovely dinner at The Swan Hotel in Bibury, England when the French server asked us if we would like “the pudding”. Pudding? Sounds great! I enthusiastically said “Absolutely! What flavors do you have?” The server gave me a sideways glance, then donned an American accent & answered: “Pudding. You know…dessert!” Ooooohhhhhhh…dessert! 😆 😉 Right then & there I had to know why dessert is called “pudding” in the U. K. Here’s a brief history. The term “pudding” may derive from the West Germanic “pud” (“to swell”) or the French “boudin” (“sausage”) which refers to the entrails used to encase savory medieval puddings mixed from blood or offal, stale bread & suet & boiled in water (haggis, anyone?). It took until the 1800’s for savory puddings to transition into the dessert puddings – sweetened with jam, marmalade or fruits & sugar – that we now know. So…would you like the pudding? Try this amazing Steamed Marmalade Pudding & I bet you’ll say “yes” over & over again!
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Pudding
- 6 T unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces, plus 1 T extra for greasing container
- 2/3 c Seville orange (or other bitter orange) marmalade
- 5-1/4 oz hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 c flour
- 3/4 t baking soda
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1/4 t salt
- 2 lg eggs + 1 lg white
For the Whiskey Custard Sauce
- 1-1/4 c half-and-half
- 4 lg egg yolks
- 1/3 c sugar
- 1-1/2 T whiskey
Grease a heatproof container that is about as tall as it is wide (a 4-cup liquid measuring cup works great!) with 1 T butter. Line bottom of container with parchment paper. Set rack or steamer basket in tall pot & add water until it measures about 2″ deep. Cover & bring to simmer over med heat.
Put marmalade in med heatproof bowl & mash with fork to loosen. Melt remaining 6 T butter in 10″ skillet over med-high heat, 1-2 min. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with silicone spatula, until butter is dark golden brown & has nutty aroma, about 02 min longer. Transfer browned butter to marmalade bowl & whisk until butter is incorporated.
Process bread, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt in food processor until bread has been reduced to fine crumbs, about 30 sec. Transfer to marmalade mixture. Lightly beat eggs & egg white & add to marmalade mixture. Whisk until combined.
Transfer mixture to prepared container. Place 8″ square of parchment paper on top of container. Place 10″ square of aluminum foil on top of parchment & crimp tightly. Secure foil with twine & tightly tie so no steam will escape.
Place prepared container onto rack inside tall pot. Add hot water, if necessary, to reach halfway up sides of prepared container. Cover, increase heat, & bring to boil. Reduce heat to maintain gentle boil; cook for 2 hrs. Check pot occasionally to ensure that water is boiling & add hot water as needed to maintain water level.
While pudding bakes, make whiskey custard sauce. Bring half-and-half to simmer in small saucepan over med heat. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks & sugar in med bowl until pale yellow in color, about 01 min. Remove saucepan from heat & temper eggs by slowly adding 1/2 c warm half-and-half to yolk mixture while whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan & cook over med-low heat, stirring constantly with spatula, until mixture thickens slightly & registers 175-178 deg, 5-8 min. Pour custard through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Stir in whiskey. Cover & refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1-1/2 hrs.
After pudding bakes for 2 hrs, transfer container to wire rack to cool for 10 min. Remove cover & slide paring knife around edges of pudding. Let cool for another 1/2 hr or longer.
To serve, place cake stand or plate on top of container. Invert the container to release pudding. Discard parchment. Cut pudding into wedges & serve with whiskey custard sauce. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated. Photo Cred: Steamed Marmalade Pudding | America’s Test Kitchen Recipe