Prune Kumquat Sticky Pudding With Armagnac Toffee Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and generously butter an 11-cup Kugelhopf pan (see note, above) or 11-cup bundt pan.
• Halve prunes and in a small saucepan simmer with Armagnac and 3/4 cup water, uncovered, 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer prunes to a shallow dish to cool. Boil Armagnac mixture until reduced to about 1/2 cup and add to prunes.
• Halve kumquats lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise. In a small saucepan bring remaining 1/2 cup water with 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add kumquats and simmer 10 minutes. In a fine sieve drain kumquats and add to prunes.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, allspice, and salt. Resift mixture into another bowl.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, remaining 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and prune mixture alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until just combined.
• Spoon batter into pan (pan will be almost full) and bake in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes and turn out onto rack to cool completely. Cake keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature 1 week.
• Garnish cake with kumquats and serve with warm toffee sauce and ice cream.

Steps:

• Butter eight 3-by-2-inch ramekins; sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar in the bottom of each; set aside. Place kumquats, remaining cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Simmer until kumquats are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Place kumquats in bottom of each ramekin; set aside. Reserve liquid for poaching whole kumquats for garnish, if desired.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dates and baking soda in a bowl; add 1 cup boiling water; stir to combine; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 4 tablespoons butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Add date mixture and walnuts; beat until combined. Pour batter into ramekins. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Run a knife around puddings' edges; unmold. Drizzle with toffee sauce.

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan simmer cream with butter and brown sugar, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat and stir in Armagnac. Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week. Reheat sauce before serving.