Sticky Date Pudding With Toffee Sauce And Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Recipes

Steps:

• Make pudding:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.
• Coarsely chop dates and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
• While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
• Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.
• Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
• In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.
• Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.

Steps:

• Put the dates in a bowl and cover with the 1 cup boiling water to soften, at least 5 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 and grease a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Combine the 3 tablespoons butter, baking soda, a pinch of salt, Demerara sugar, 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, eggs, flour and vanilla extract in a food processor and pulse until just combined. Add the dates and 1/2 cup of the water to the mixture; pulse until nearly smooth (specks of dates should remain visible).
• Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, until just firm to the touch. (When the pudding has finished baking, remove from the oven and heat the broiler. Put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.)
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then slowly add 1 cup cream and 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt, whisking continuously until the mixture bubbles gently and comes together to form a smooth mixture; turn off heat.
• In another small saucepan over medium heat, make the extra sauce. Melt 3 tablespoons butter, then slowly add 1 ¼ cups cream and 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Repeat the process above.
• Pour the topping (careful not to use the extra sauce) over the cooked pudding and place the whole thing in the broiler until it bubbles and looks sticky, 1 or 2 minutes (watch it closely). To serve, spoon into bowls and cover with the extra sauce. If you like, add a dollop of whipped cream.

Steps:

• Soak the dates in hot water for 1 hour.
• Beat together the brown sugar and butter.
• Slowly, add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• Strain the dates and place in a food processor- process until chunky.
• Add the water back to the dates.
• Fold this into the butter mixture alternately with the flour.
• Pipe into moulds and steam for 15 minutes for small, individual moulds or 30-35 minutes for larger moulds.
• If you don't have a steamer, place moulds in a water bath and cover with foil before placing in the oven.
• Bake at 180C for approximately 20-30 minutes or until done.
• Serve warm with toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream (Haagen Daaz is a good brand if you are not making your own).
• Preparation of toffee sauce: Dissolve sugar and water in a saucepan (use a pan that has high sides- when the cream is added, it will bubble up!).
• Use a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystal that remained on the sides of the pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Allow to cook (without stirring) until a golden colour is obtained.
• Slowly add the cream- be careful of the splashes of caramel and the hot cream.
• Allow to return to the boil for 30 seconds, remove from heat and stir in the butter.
• Refrigerate until needed or allow to cool slightly and serve with the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
• Preparation of vanilla bean ice-cream: Bring milk and cream to just below boiling point.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
• Add some hot milk, mix and pour back onto the remaining hot milk.
• Stir continuously, cooking until mix is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
• Sieve immediately and cool down.
• Stir constantly, over a bowl of ice water.
• When cool, refrigerate until completely cold.
• Pour into ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions, freeze until set.
• Remove from ice-cream maker and store in the freezer until required.
• Can be stored for 1 week.