My Mums Spottier Dick Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a large mixing bowl sift in the flour and bread soda, add the salt, sugar, and sultanas. Mix well by lifting the flour and fruit up in to your hands and then letting them fall back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore hopefully more lightness to your finished bread. Now make a well in the center of the flour. Break the egg into the bottom of your measuring jug, and add the buttermilk to the14 fluid ounce (425 milliliter) line (your egg is part of your liquid measurement). Pour most of this milk and egg into the flour. Using 1 hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. The trick with spotted dick like all soda breads is not to over mix the dough. Mix it as quickly and as gently as possible thus keeping it light and airy. When the dough all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands.
• With floured fingers roll lightly for a few seconds just enough to tidy it up. Pat the dough into a round, pressing to about 2-inch (6 centimeter) in height. Place the dough on a baking tray dusted lightly with flour. With a sharp knife cut a deep cross on it, let the cuts go over the sides of the bread. Prick with knife at the 4 triangles as according to Irish Folklore this is to let the fairies out!
• Put in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 35 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt about the bread being cooked, tap the bottom: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. Serve freshly baked, cut into thick slices and smeared with butter and jam. Spotted Dick is also really good eaten with cheese.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
• Note: an Irish tablespoon is the same quantity as an American tablespoon plus a teaspoon.

Steps:

• Grease a 3-pint (1 liter) pudding basin. Mix all the ingredients together, except the egg and milk. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix well. (I do this in a mixer but you can do it by hand, no problem.)
• Put the mixture in the basin, cover with tin foil or a cloth, and put the basin in a pan with water half-way up the sides of the basin. Bring the water to a boil, put on a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 3 hours, remembering to top up with (add more) boiling water now and then.

Steps:

• Lay out your pork on a board and rub some salt and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary into the scored lines, trying to get this into every bit by pushing and rubbing in. In a pestle and mortar smash up the fennel seeds, then the garlic and remaining chopped rosemary, and rub this into the meat ? not the skin, or it will burn. Place in a large roasting tray with the balsamic vinegar, bay and olive oil. Leave for about 1/2 hour to marinate.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to its highest temperature and brown the bones. Rub the skin of the pork with lots of sea salt ? this will help puff it up and dry it out. Place the pork directly on the bars at the top of the oven. Finally add the browned bones and vegetables to the leftover balsamic marinade, add 570ml, 1 pint water and put into the oven directly under the pork. As the pork cooks all the goodness drips from it into the tray. This liquid will then become your gravy. You also get quite charred bar marks on the base of the pork.
• The pork will take about 1 hour to cook. After 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven on the rack and place on a piece of foil to save any juices. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Finish off any vegetables that you are going to serve with it and make a gravy out of the juices in the tray which was underneath the pork.
• Put the bones, the liquid and the vegetables into a large pan. Add some water to the tray that contained the bones and vegetables, as there will be some Marmite-like, sticky stuff on the bottom to the tray which is very tasty. Reboil the water, scrape off all the goodness from the bottom of the tray and then pour everything into the pan. Bring to the boil, shaking occasionally, remove any oil, grease or scum from the top, then pass the contents through a sieve, discarding all the vegetables and bones. You can reduce and then correct the seasoning, to taste.

Steps:

• Place a steamer rack inside a large stock pot. Add enough water so that when placed on the steamer rack, the pudding mold will be about ¾ of the way submerged. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil.
• Grease the pudding mold well with the softened butter. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and turn the mold to coat evenly. Cut out a 6-inch (12 cm) round of parchment paper and grease with butter.
• Grate the frozen butter on the large holes of a box grater into a large bowl.
• Add the remaining 3¾ cups (465 G) flour, the salt, and baking powder. Mix with a fork until evenly distributed.
• Add the sugar, raisins, currants, and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
• Add the milk and eggs. Stir with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and there are no dry spots remaining, being careful not to overmix.
• Transfer to the batter to the prepared pudding mold and smooth the top. Place the parchment round over the batter, greased side down. Secure the lid to the mold.
• Carefully lower the pudding mold into the steam bath. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and steam for 80-90 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pudding is at least 180°F (80°C). Add more water as needed to maintain the level.
• While the pudding steams, make the crème anglaise: Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl, filling about halfway.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup (50 G) sugar. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream, remaining ¼ cup (50 G) of sugar, the salt, and the vanilla bean (if using vanilla extract, stir into the cooled crème anglaise). Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to steam. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Ladle ½ cup (120 ML) of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk well. This will temper the eggs so they do not curdle when added back to the pot. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk mixture.
• Return the saucepan to medium heat and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon to ensure the egg yolks don't cook on the bottom of the pot, for about 5 minutes, until the custard coats the back of the spoon.
• Set a strainer inside a medium bowl, then set the bowl in the ice bath, making sure the water doesn't come over the sides. Strain the crème anglaise into the bowl. Whisk until cool, about 5 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Once the pudding has cooked through, carefully remove it from the steam rack and let sit for 15 minutes on a cooling rack. Uncover the mold and remove the parchment round. Run a knife around the edge of the pudding to loosen. Carefully flip onto a serving platter.
• Slice and serve the spotted dick warm with the crème anglaise alongside.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the suet, currants, sugar, lemon and orange zest.
• Pour in 150ml milk and mix to a firm but moist dough, adding the extra milk if necessary.
• Shape into a fat roll about 20cm long. Place on a large rectangle of baking parchment. Wrap loosely to allow for the pudding to rise and tie the ends with string like a Christmas cracker.
• Place a steamer over a large pan of boiling water, add the pudding to the steamer, cover and steam for 1½ hours. Top up the pan with water from time to time.
• Remove from the steamer and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Serve sliced with custard.