The Case for Proper Suet Pudding
Kate, Plum Duff Tearoom
Suet has an image problem. Say the word to most people under forty and you'll get a slightly wary look, as though you've suggested something faintly Victorian and probably unpleasant. Which is a shame, because a well-made suet pudding — light, slightly spongy, holding its shape just enough to slice — is one of the best textures in British cooking, and almost nothing else behaves quite like it.
The trick, in our experience, is not to overwork the mixture and not to rush the steaming. We mix ours by hand rather than in a machine, keep the suet cold until the last minute, and give every pudding a full two hours over gently simmering water rather than trying to speed things along in a pressure cooker. It costs us time on a busy day, but the difference in texture is obvious the moment you cut into it.
If you want to try one yourself: 225g self-raising flour, 110g shredded suet, a pinch of salt, and enough milk to bring it to a soft, dropping consistency. Fold through jam, dried fruit or golden syrup depending on what you fancy, spoon into a buttered basin, cover and steam for two hours. Serve with more custard than feels reasonable.
Getting Custard Right, Every Time
Susan, Plum Duff Tearoom
We get asked about the custard more than any pudding recipe on this blog, which tells you something about priorities. Proper custard — egg yolks, sugar, cream and milk, cooked slowly until it coats the back of a spoon — is not difficult, but it does punish impatience. Turn the heat up to hurry it along and you'll end up with sweet scrambled egg instead of custard, which nobody wants poured over their sponge.
Our method: warm 300ml milk and 150ml double cream together until just steaming, not boiling. Meanwhile whisk 4 egg yolks with 40g sugar until pale. Pour the warm milk over the yolks slowly, whisking constantly, then return the whole lot to a low heat and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until it thickens enough to leave a trail on the back of it. Take it off the heat a moment before you think it's ready — it keeps cooking in the pan for a minute or so after.
If it does split, don't panic and don't bin it: take it off the heat immediately, add an ice cube and whisk hard, or blitz briefly with a stick blender. It won't be quite the same, but it'll usually come back together enough to serve.
More recipes go up on the blog every so often — pop back, or ask in the tearoom what we're planning to write up next.