We recently hosted a dinner that was part of a church auction. It was meant to be on Jan. 25, Robbie Burns Day, but due to hockey and other calendar conflicts, it got postponed until now. And so, we had an April Scottish dinner party. No, we didn’t serve haggis, the question most often asked.
My Scottish friend Norma recommended sticky toffee pudding for dessert. She said it is often served in Scotland and it is a favourite of hers since it is so delicious and has the bonus of being able to be made ahead of time. I followed her advice and did agree. I’ll pass the recipe along because you might find it handy to have on hand for seeding or for unexpected guests.
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It can be made in a nine x nine inch (22 x 22 cm) pan and cut into portions, or in 20 muffin cups. Making the pudding in muffin cups gives a nice presentation because each person has her own individual pudding.
Sticky toffee pudding
Batter:
11/4 cups pitted dates, chopped 310 mL
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour 10 mL
1 cup boiling water 250 mL
1 teaspoon baking soda 5 mL
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature 60 mL
3/4 cup sugar 175 mL
11/2 cups all-purpose flour 375 mL
1 teaspoon baking powder 5 mL
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Sauce:
3/4 cup butter 175 mL
11/3 cups brown sugar 325 mL
1/2 cup cream or milk 125 mL
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
To prepare dates: In a bowl combine dates with two teaspoons (10 mL) of flour. Toss to coat. In a food processor or by hand, finely chop dates. Return dates to the bowl and cover with one cup (250 mL) of boiling water. Add baking soda and vanilla and stir until soft. (Because my dates were dry, I added the boiling water to the dates before chopping in the food processor).
To prepare batter: Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Sift 11/2 cups (375 mL) flour with baking powder. Add about 1/2 cup (125 mL) flour and egg to the batter. Blend. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until blended. Batter will be crumbly.
Add date mixture to batter and blend. Transfer batter to greased cake or muffin pans. (I lined the muffin cups with paper liners for easy removal.) Bake about 20 minutes.
To prepare toffee sauce: In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter and add brown sugar and cream. Simmer until golden brown, about three minutes.
To serve: Heat puddings and pour on a generous amount of sauce. The sauce is what makes this recipe taste so yummy. The pudding can be decorated with cream and a cherry, or some ice cream.
Puddings can be frozen. When ready to serve, just thaw, then heat in the microwave and serve with the sauce. The sauce can be made earlier in the day and reheated gently. Too much cooking and the sauce will harden on the plate.
Healthy in a hurry
Two months ago Company’s Coming released its cookbook Healthy in a Hurry by Jean Pare, $19.99. This cookbook has 120 new recipes that aim to provide nourishing meals in a short time.
It provides an alternative to fast foods for time-crunched individuals and families. The health-conscious recipes cover the whole spectrum from breakfast to lunch, supper and even dessert.
It has nutritional information, health and lifestyle facts and helpful cooking tips.
- Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. The lycopene is actually more potent when the tomatoes are cooked.
- To grate or crumble soft cheese easily, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes until firm.
- To toast nuts, seeds or coconut, place them in an ungreased shallow frying pan. Heat on medium for three to five minutes, stirring often, until golden. Or to bake, spread them evenly in an ungreased shallow pan. Bake in a 350 F (180 C) oven for five to 10 minutes, stirring or shaking often, until golden.
Growing parsnips
Each year I always plant a few parsnips in my garden. They are easy to grow except for the hard work of digging them out of the ground. In the fall they signal the end of the vegetable garden for another year because they are the last vegetable to be dug.
They say the roots require temperatures near freezing for two to four weeks in the fall to encourage the conversion of starch to sugar, which gives the parsnip its sweet distinctive flavour.
Parsnips are a healthy food choice and one of the most nutritious vegetables.
They contain no fat or sodium and are rich in potassium. They also provide fibre and many of the vitamins and trace elements required in our diet.
When planting your parsnips this spring, choose a full sun to partial shade spot. The Gardener for the Prairies magazine, Winter 2006, gives the following advice: “Parsnip seed should be sown in soil that has been well cultivated, and loosened to a depth of 38 centimetres (15 inches) to encourage long, straight roots. An effective way to ensure the loose soil extends deeply enough in heavy soils is to rake the soil into a 15 to 20 cm (six to eight inch) hill following a deep cultivation. Lightly pack the crest where the seed will be sown.” I’m going to try that this year.
Because the seed is slow to germinate (taking at least two to three weeks), a helpful hint is to include a light sowing of radish seed with the parsnip seed. The germinating radish helps to break any crust on the soil and will show exactly where the parsnips have been planted. It’s important to remove the radishes early, to avoid competition.
The Gardener for the Prairies offers a lot of valuable information. It is published quarterly.
For subscription information contact 888-477-5593, e-mail: subscriptions@gardenermagazine.ca or www.gardenermagazine.ca.
Dandelion jelly
Dear TEAM: I heard there was a recipe for dandelion jelly. It’s supposed to taste like honey. – K.C., Peers, Alta.
I was able to find a recipe and sent it to K.C. last year. It was past dandelion season for printing the recipe, so I’m printing it now. We dread the hearty dandelion that each spring invades our town. Making jelly from the petals gives it some purpose in being.
1 quart dandelion blossoms 1 L
2 quarts water 2 L
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 30 mL
13/4 ounces powdered fruit pectin 50 g
51/2 cups sugar 1.3 L
Pick bright, fresh dandelion blossoms and pack the quart (one litre) container tightly. This is going to require a lot of dandelion blossoms.
Rinse quickly in cold water to remove any insects or dirt on the petals. Don’t leave the blossoms in the water for long, though.
Next, pull up a chair somewhere comfortable because this part is going to take awhile – snip off the stem and green collar under each blossom, so that only the petals are left.
In an enamel saucepan, boil the dandelion petals in water for three minutes, or a little longer, until the water takes on their colour, four minutes for a deeper colour.
Cool and strain, pressing against the petals with your fingers to extract all of the dandelion juice. Or, you can line a sieve with moistened cheesecloth and strain it that way.
Measure out three cups (750 mL) of dandelion liquid. Add the lemon juice and fruit pectin. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, using a large kettle. Add the sugar, stirring to mix well. Continue stirring and boil the mixture for 21/2 minutes.
Pour into hot sterilized jelly jars and seal. Process for five minutes in a boiling water bath.
Makes 51/2 pints (473 mL) jars.
Source: Internet, Carol, Rock Creek, B.C.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
