Sticky Ginger Pear Pudding Recipes

STICKY GINGER PEAR PUDDING

Steps:

• Put the syrup, sugar and milk into a saucepan, then bring to a simmer to dissolve. Leave to cool almost completely while you get on with everything else. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
• Put the butter, flour, bicarb, ground ginger and cinnamon into a food processor, then pulse until it forms fine crumbs. Generously butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and sprinkle 1 tsp sugar into the bottom. Cut 3 of the ginger balls in half and put 5 halves, rounded-side down, into the bottom, like the points of a star. Cut one cheek from a pear, then slice through about 10 times, without cutting through the stalk end. Put this into the bottom of the bowl amongst the ginger, then press gently so that the pear fans out. Core, then thinly slice the remaining pear. Finely chop the rest of the ginger.
• Tip the cooled syrup mix and egg into a food processor, then quickly whizz with the dry ingredients to a batter. Take out the blade, then stir in the chopped ginger and sliced pear. Scrape the mix into the basin, then bake for 1 hr 20 mins until risen and dark golden, and a skewer comes out clean. Whatever you do, don't open the oven before 45 mins is up.
• To finish, gently melt the syrup ingredients in a pan together until the sugar dissolves, then boil briefly. Turn the pudding out of its basin just before serving, spoon over the syrup and serve with custard.

STICKY PEAR & GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Put the chopped dates in a pan with the milk, butter, ginger preserve and dark muscovado. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble round the edges of the pan. Stir well and set aside for 1 hr to cool.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a buttered 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. Peel and chop the pears into large chunks. Mix the flour, chopped pecans and bicarb with the spices, then stir into the cooled date mixture with the eggs. Pour into the tin and scatter over the pears. Roughly break the reserved pecans and drop on top. Bake for 40 mins, then cover the top loosely with foil and return to the oven for 25-30 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just sticky crumbs - the cake may still look a little wet around the pears.
• While the cake is baking, make the brandy syrup. Tip the light muscovado sugar into a pan with 50ml water and dissolve over a low heat until syrupy. Stir in the brandy and set aside. When the cake is ready, spoon over half the syrup, then leave the cake to cool before serving with extra syrup on the side.
• To freeze, cool the cake in its tin, then wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm through in a low oven. The syrup can be frozen separately, warmed, then drizzled over as before.

PEAR GINGERBREAD PUDDING.

Steps:

• Grease an 8 inch square (2L) glass baking dish. Spread pears in dish and drizzle honey over it. Set aside.
• In a large bowl beat butter with sugar until fluffy. , then beat in molasses and egg. (The secret to loosening molasses is to let it sit in a small bowl of warm water. I learned this from a cooking show and it works like a charm.).
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda and salt. Stir into molasses mixture and alternately with hot water, making three additions of dry ingredients, and two additions of water. Pour over pears.
• Bake in a preheated 350 F degree (180 C) oven until straw or cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm. They say it takes about 30 minutes, but from my personal experience, in order for the straw or cake tester to come out clean it has to be in the oven between 40-45 minutes.