My grandmother made old English date pudding every single year for Christmas dinner. This "pudding", which is really more like a moist cake, was served with whipped cream over it. This is the stuff of childhood memories for me.
My grandmother was an incredible cook, a farm wife who measured intuitively (much to the chagrin of her daughter-in-law, my mother, who was not an inspired cook by any stretch!). Over the final years of my grandmother's life this recipe began to change, and not for the better. The moist pudding became a dry, less-appetizing cake. I tried, tried, tried! over the years to reproduce the earlier, original version of her pudding, but never achieved it.
Then, by chance, I stumbled upon another recipe for date pudding and even though the ingredients were identical, the preparation was quite different. Shazam! I had it again!
So, here is the recipe for my grandmother's date pudding, back in its original format. Served with lightly sweetened whipped cream, it is absolutely a taste of my childhood with my very English grandparents. Please enjoy!
My grandmother was an incredible cook, a farm wife who measured intuitively (much to the chagrin of her daughter-in-law, my mother, who was not an inspired cook by any stretch!). Over the final years of my grandmother's life this recipe began to change, and not for the better. The moist pudding became a dry, less-appetizing cake. I tried, tried, tried! over the years to reproduce the earlier, original version of her pudding, but never achieved it.
Then, by chance, I stumbled upon another recipe for date pudding and even though the ingredients were identical, the preparation was quite different. Shazam! I had it again!
So, here is the recipe for my grandmother's date pudding, back in its original format. Served with lightly sweetened whipped cream, it is absolutely a taste of my childhood with my very English grandparents. Please enjoy!
DATE PUDDING
SYRUP:
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. water 1 tsp. butter
PUDDING:
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder 1 c. chopped dates 1 c. brown sugar (additional) 1 tbsp. butter 1/3 c. milk 1 tsp. cinnamon
To prepare syrup, bring to boil 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon butter. Pour into baking dish*.
To prepare pudding, mix flour, baking powder and all other ingredients. Mix well. Drop by spoonful into syrup. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm. (NOTE: Batter will spread, dates settle on bottom.) *This is the part that got lost. It seems very odd, I realize, to pour this into the dish first. Trust me. |
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