It’s Fall and what do you do on a gorgeous Fall day in New England? Go apple picking, of course! We were in New Hampshire and stumbled onto this remote, little apple orchard located down a very long, dirt road, nestled among tall, lumbering pine trees. No fancy signs with balloons announcing their location. No giant painted pumpkins, mind-numbing corn mazes or antique tractor displays … just apple trees. Apprehensively, we approached the little shed with the owner standing outside. “C’mon in”, he said “wanna pick some apples?” How could we not.
He explained the different varieties of apple trees and their location in the orchard, handed us a couple of paper bags and off we went. Picking didn’t take long, as the trees were heavy with fruit … Empire, Macouns, Macintosh, Golden Delicious and Cortland … all red, ripe and ready. After picking … and eating as many as we could … we managed to find our way back to the shed, where the owner weighed our bounty and offered us a slice of pie. Pie? Yes, every day his wife bakes an apple pie for anyone who, after a day of picking, would like to sit, relax and enjoy a slice of homemade apple pie. Needless to say, it was one of the best apple pies we’ve ever had.
Now, with more apples than we could possibly eat, it was time to get baking! So what to make? I certainly couldn’t compete with the apple pie we had at the orchard. I’ve made many strudels, cobblers and apple cakes. I wanted to make something different. How about an old fashioned steamed pudding?
My inspiration was the classic British dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding. Putting on my creative baker hat once again, I came up with this Apple version. If you are a lover of classic steamed puddings, which, unlike cakes, are dense, moist and homey, then you must give this a try. Yes, it is a bit time consuming, but its the perfect thing to make on a chilly, Autumn afternoon.
This will feed anywhere from 6 hungry people to 12 easily. Serve it warm with a generous slug of the thick, sweet toffee topping. To heck with the calories … you burned them all off apple picking anyway!
STICKY TOFFEE APPLE PUDDING
Bake 350° for 60 to 70 minutes. Serves 6 to 10, depending upon portion size.
Toffee Sauce
1 15 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Pudding/Cake/Batter
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
4-5 large apples, peeled, cored and cubed (approximately 6 cups)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 stick butter, melted
4 eggs, room temperature
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Into a high-sided saucepan, place the entire can of sweetened condensed milk. Completely cover the can with water and bring to a boil. Then cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let this simmer, covered, for at least two hours, while you make and bake the pudding. Check it every now and then to ensure the can is completely covered with simmering water. Refill water as needed.
Preheat the oven to 350° and butter six to eight ramekins. In a large baking or roasting pan, lay a kitchen towel. The ramekins are going to bake in a water bath and the towel keeps the dishes from bumping into each other.
In a large frypan, over medium heat, melt the butter and add the cubed apples. Sprinkle on the dark brown sugar, the cinnamon, nutmeg and the cornstarch. Mix gently. Cover and let it cook down for about 15 minutes or until the apples are softened and a sauce forms. If needed, add a bit of water. Stir gently.
While the apples are gently cooking, in a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and vanilla. Beat in the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Mix well, but don’t overbeat.
Spoon the apple filling into the pudding batter. With a wooden spoon, gently mix all together. Then spoon the batter into the buttered ramekins. Not too high. They will rise a bit. Sprinkle with toasted nuts, if you’d like.
Place the ramekins on the towel-lined baking pan. Then fill the baking pan with hot water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the dishes.
Cover the entire baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350°. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes (depending upon the size of the ramekins). No peeking. Puddings take a bit longer to bake than cakes.
When done, remove the baking pan from the oven and let the puddings rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, take the can which has been bubbling away on the stove top, and holding it with a towel, carefully open it. It will be very hot. With a spoon, mix the thick, sweet sauce to smooth it out. Then spoon the toffee sauce into a serving bowl or pitcher.
To serve, either pop the pudding out of the ramekin and plate it or serve it right in the ramekin … and spoon a generous dollop of toffee sauce on top. For a little extra treat, you might want to have ice cream or whipped cream on hand. This is an absolutely rib-sticking, old fashioned dessert, hearty, sweet and full of chunky apples with a creamy toffee sauce … perfect for a cool Fall evening. i hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did!!
_____________________________________________________________________________
About an hour before you want to make the Gingerbread, combine the following ingredients in a saucepan: Cubed butter, vegetable oil, water, molasses, brown sugar, golden syrup or honey. Simmer over low heat until the butter is melted, the sugar has dissolved and everything is well combined.
Cool completely before adding this mixture to the dry ingredients. It should be just warm to the touch. If you want to cool this mixture quickly, set the pan into a bowl of ice water.
In a separate, smaller bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, milk and grated ginger.
Pour the batter into the greased pan(s) and bake. Depending upon the pan size and shape, it could take between 45 and 60 minutes. Check for doneness when a tester comes out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Then put on the kettle and don’t be afraid to dive in. It freezes well if you want to wrap it tightly in foil. Or it will keep nicely in the frig for a week, wrapped in cling film.
Dense, gingery and moist. I love this Gingerbread warm with a dusting of powered sugar and a big mug of tea! This is perfect for the holidays. Keep one on hand ready to serve for anyone who drops by … or just make to enjoy all by yourself!!
First get a very large pot with tightly fitting cover. Put a saucer, ramekin or something in the bottom of the pot so that the bowl you are going to steam your pudding in doesn’t sit directly on the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot halfway with water and bring to a boil.
Pour the Golden Syrup into the bottom of the bowl. Mix together the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl beat the softened butter with the sugars and molasses (treacle) til light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and grated lemon peel and blend til well combined.
Place the bowl into the pot, setting on top of the saucer or ramekin. I used a steamer basket, which worked beautifully. Make sure the water comes up to the middle of your pudding bowl. Cover the pot and steam for about 1-1/2 hours. The water should be a soft boil. If the water isn’t hot enough, the pudding won’t cook. Check the water level every now and then. You don’t want the water to boil away.
Sticky, sweet and gooey, everyone will love this humble, old fashioned dessert.