New Recipe!

English Cranberry Pudding

Vegan, Dairy free, Soy free, Egg free, Wheat free, Peanut free, Tree Nut free, Fish free, and Shellfish free RECIPE

One of my favorite food magazines is Saveur. Not only do they have exotic recipes, but the photography is spectacular. I reccommend it to any foodie, and all hungry readers. This month's issue lists their top 100 favorites, and #24 was Cranberry Pudding. I was delighted to find this recipe, because it was easily adaptable to a hypoallergenic version.

The recipe called for two 2 1/2 cup glazed ceramic pudding basins, available from Sur La Table (800 243-0852, or www.surlatable.com). However, i didn't have these on hand, and I'm sure most of you out there don't either. So I made due with two heavy ceramic bean pots that held 2 cups of liquid each. I'm sure you can use little casseroles, or custard cups, or even a solid heavy ceramic bowl. Whatever you use, make sure it can withstand high heat since you'll be boiling it.

This recipes is an old-fashioned English steamed pudding. The Saveur version recommended serving it with whipped cream. I have substituted hard sauce, a sweet sauce often served with steamed puddings, apple pie, mince meat pie, etc.


CRANBERRY PUDDING

5 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (I use spectrum naturals organic shortening which is soy and dairy free)
1 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cherries, or chopped pitted prunes)
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs* (I used gluten free, wheat free brown rice bread, but use whatever you prefer, spelt, etc.)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. oat flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. barley flour
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup water

*to make bread crumbs, dice bread up very small and put on a cookie sheet in the oven or toaster oven at 375 degrees till lightly golden and no longer soft, shaking the tray occasionally. Let cool before using.

Combine 4 Tbsp. vegetable shortening with cranberries, bread crumbs, flour, orange zest, and baking powder in large bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add orange juice and water and stir until mixtue becomes a thick batter, about 1 minute.

Grease two ceramic pudding basins (about 3" deep and 5" wide) or mini casseroles, or bowls, or bean pots, or whatever ceramic basins you will be using, with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of vegetable shortening. Lightly pack 1/2 the batter into each of the basins. Cover each basin with 2 layers of waxed paper, then 2 layers of foil, and secure tightly with kitchen twine. You want to make sure the waxed paper and foil are on really tightly, because you don't want the water getting into the basin, or you'll wind up with watery mush. You will need a large wide pot. Put a steamer basket or circular rack in the bottom. I didn't have one pot large enough so i used two, one for each basin. Put the basin on the rack or steamer basket, and fill the pot with water until it reaches 2" up the sides of the basins. Cover pots, bring water to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 1/2 hours, replenishing water as necessary (with boiling water). Remove basins from pot and let cool about 10 minutes. Remove wax paper and foil, run a knife gently around the edges of pudding to loosen and turn out onto a small plate. Serve warm with Hard Sauce (recipe follows). Serves 4.

HARD SAUCE

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup beet sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. rum, or brandy

Mix vegetable shortening with sugar till creamy. Add vanilla extract. Beat in thoroughly. Add rum, 1/2 tsp. at a time, till really creamy. Chill in fridge about 1/2 an hour before eating with pudding. Yum!