Gentleman's pudding

Mark Taylor

Ingredients

Traditional English steamed puddings tend to have a reputation for being a heavy and knee-buckling end to a meal. This one, which I've adapted from an old Arabella Boxer recipe, uses flour rather than suet or breadcrumbs and the result is a much lighter affair. The raspberry jam even adds a summery note so this is a great standby pud for those unpredictable days when the sun hasn't quite made its mind up. It even has a dash of dry sherry to keep everybody happy regardless of the weather.

140g butter
70g caster sugar
140g self-raising flour
3 large eggs
3 tbsp good-quality raspberry jam - preferably homemade (or made by the WI!)

Sauce:
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp caster sugar
70ml dry sherry
1.5 tbsp raspberry jam

Method

Cream butter and sugar, add sifted flour and eggs (add the eggs one at a time) alternately. Beat well, then add jam. Turn into a buttered one litre bowl and steam for 1.5 hours. Turn out and serve with the sauce. To make the sauce: whip the egg yolks with sugar in a roomy bowl over hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Add the sherry, then jam. Serve hot, either poured around the pudding, or separately, in a sauceboat (charity shops are always great for finding retro ones!). A separate jug of cold cream works very well here if you are feeling decadent.