This Plum Cobbler is a dessert I place in the comfort food category. It does not take any odd or hard-to-find ingredients and makes a lovely finale to dinner. Continue reading Plum Cobbler
Plum Cobbler
Category Archives: Desserts
Orange-scented Blueberry Oat Square
Modelled after, and made with the same method as, a traditional Date Square, this wholesome Orange-Scented Blueberry Oat Square features a delectable blueberry filling sandwiched between a sweet and buttery orange-scented oatmeal crumb base and topping. Continue reading Orange-scented Blueberry Oat Square
No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake Dessert
Who doesn’t love a no-bake dessert! This delectable Pineapple Cheesecake Dessert is very easy to make and does not take a lot of ingredients. While no baking is required, some refrigerator time in between steps is needed for the dessert to set. Continue reading No-Bake Pineapple Cheesecake Dessert
Mini Blueberry Bundt Cakes
Mini Bundt cakes have become quite popular and trendy and they are ideal individual desserts that present so attractively on a plate. Today, I used my pan of fluted mini Bundt pan molds (each having a 1-cup capacity) to make individual Mini Blueberry Bundt Cakes with a lemon glaze. Continue reading Mini Blueberry Bundt Cakes
Old-fashioned Raisin Pie Recipe
For some reason, I always think of Raisin Pie as a late autumn or winter time pie. I suppose, perhaps, it might have something to do with spring, summer, and fall being the time when we think of fruit pies like rhubarb, strawberry, peach, and apple, for example, when such fruits are in season. In winter, those fruits are likely to be imported and more expensive so one tends to look for other types of fillings for pies. Continue reading Old-fashioned Raisin Pie Recipe
Steamed Mincemeat and Apple Pudding
Mincemeat is a traditional Christmas food in many parts of the world, including mine. As mincemeat is a common staple ingredient in my pantry, I use mincemeat in a whole host of recipes including muffins, cookies, tarts, pies, squares, and quick breads. Today, however, I have used my own homemade Green Tomato Mincemeat to create a divine Steamed Mincemeat and Apple Pudding. Continue reading Steamed Mincemeat and Apple Pudding
Perfect Peach Crumble Recipe
Today, I am making Peach Crumble for dessert. Mid-summer always brings an abundance of lovely seasonal fruits and I adore peaches so it is never a problem coming up with wonderful ways to use them. Continue reading Perfect Peach Crumble Recipe
Clementine Sponge Pudding for Two
This self-saucing Clementine Sponge Pudding, baked in a bain marie, consists of a lovely citrus-flavored sauce topped with a light-as-air sponge cake. The pudding is proportionately sized for two servings making it ideal for the small household. Continue reading Clementine Sponge Pudding for Two
Vintage Rainbow Square Recipe
Today, I have dug deep into my vintage recipe file for this super tasty Rainbow Square. This is more of a dessert square than one that would be found on a tray of squares where each individual square could be picked up and eaten from the hand. This one is best served on a plate and eaten with a fork. It would fall into the “ooey-gooey” square category, in my opinion! Continue reading Vintage Rainbow Square Recipe
Classic Cherry Clafoutis For Two
A classic dessert with French origins, Cherry Clafoutis (pronounced “kla-foo-tee“) is remarkably simple to make with the most basic of ingredients. If you can mix together the batter for pancakes or crepes and pour it over cherries in a baking dish, you can make this dessert! Continue reading Classic Cherry Clafoutis For Two
Glazed Strawberry Pie For Two
This splendid Glazed Strawberry Pie for Two is a scaled-down version of the recipe for the Strawberry Pie I originally posted in 2013. Recognizing that there are many small households (including mine) that neither need nor desire a full-sized pie, I have sized the pie down to fit a deep-dish 7” pie plate that will easily provide up to four servings – two to enjoy today and two for tomorrow! Or, for bigger appetites, the pie provides two generous servings. Continue reading Glazed Strawberry Pie For Two
Rhubarb Cobbler For Two
One of the things I most look forward to in spring is rhubarb from the garden. I certainly make good use of it as I find it is very versatile. Today, with the smaller household in mind, I am sharing my recipe for a delicious Rhubarb Cobbler perfectly sized just for two servings. Continue reading Rhubarb Cobbler For Two
How To Make Panna Cotta
While the mention of Panna Cotta conjures up images of a fancy dessert one would expect to find in a fine restaurant, this dessert is actually quite simple to make and takes very few ingredients. It is elegant and sophisticated in its simplicity and will surely impress those lucky enough to sit around your table. Continue reading How To Make Panna Cotta
Baked Caramel Pudding For One
Single-serving “mug” cakes and puddings are popular for those living alone. I haven’t published many recipes for one or two servings since the industry standard for recipe development tends to be dishes that will generate four to six servings. That, however, for singles living alone can be a problem, particularly if the dish desired is not one that can be batch cooked and frozen in individual serving sizes for later use.
Sometimes, one has a craving for something sweet but if there are not several people to eat it up, who wants a pudding that will make four to six servings when you really only want the one serving! My proportionately sized Baked Caramel Pudding is perfect when you have no one to please with a dessert but yourself! Continue reading Baked Caramel Pudding For One
Lemon Sponge Pudding Recipe
This self-saucing Lemon Sponge Pudding, baked in a bain marie, consists of a lovely lemon sauce topped with a light-as-air sponge cake. How this all transpires is actually quite magical. This is because the pudding mixture (both the sponge cake topping and the lemon sauce) are all mixed together when they go in the baking dish. During baking, the two components, like magic, separate out with a delectable creamy lemon sauce forming on the bottom beneath the light sponge cake. Continue reading Lemon Sponge Pudding Recipe
No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
No-bake Cherry Cheesecake has long been a favorite dessert at family gatherings, potlucks, and church, office, and community events. It’s very easy to make, does not take a lot of ingredients, and is showy and super tasty. Continue reading No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
Strawberry Eton Mess Dessert
There is much folklore over the origins of Eton Mess, a parfait-like dessert that is named for the prestigious English college in Berkshire, England, across the River Thames from Windsor.
Traditionally served at Eton College’s annual June celebration event, how the Eton Mess dessert was originally created is material for folklore and legend. One such story involves an over-exuberant Labrador jumping on a picnic basket at a cricket match at Eton, crushing the pavlova inside and making it look like, well, a “mess”. Hence, the name “Eton Mess”.
Another story is that parents of an Eton student were transporting a pavlova to him but, on arrival, it had not weathered the trip well and had collapsed into, you guessed it, a “mess”. Truth or fiction to either story – who knows but one thing is for certain and that is that the Eton Mess dessert has been associated with the famous Eton school for decades.
There are various and sundry ways to construct the British-inspired Eton Mess summertime dessert. Made with only three simple ingredients – fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and crumbled meringue nests – this dessert is best prepared in tall glass dessert dishes so the red and white layers show.
Some fold all the macerated berry mixture into the whipping cream-meringue mixture. Others layer the dessert – part of the crushed berries followed by part of the whipped cream mixture, more crushed berries, and the remainder of the whipping cream mixture. I prefer to keep the whipped cream mixture white, versus turning it pink with too much strawberry. So, I simply and carefully fold a bit of the crushed berries into the whipped cream-meringue mixture and distribute the rest of the berries in the bottoms of the dessert glasses topped with the whipped cream mixture. A couple of meringues crumbled over the tops of the desserts adds a little extra crunch.
I make my own meringue nests because they are not difficult to make and I like to have them really fresh although they can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator or freezer. Pre-made meringue nests can be purchased from bakeries or supermarkets and will work in this dessert as well.
Whether by design or accident, the creation of the happy “mess”, known as Eton Mess, is a brilliant summer dessert that has stood the test of time. It’s an absolutely lovely summer dessert and a great way to serve those fresh local berries when they are in season.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Eton Mess Dessert
Ingredients:
1 lb strawberries, hulled and washed
2 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
1½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream (35% MF)
¼ cup sifted icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
¾ tsp pure vanilla
6 meringue nests (ready made or from recipe below)
Sprigs of fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Method:
Slice or quarter 8 oz of the berries in bowl. Loosely crush with food masher. Add 2 tbsp caster sugar along with the lemon juice and let berries sit for about 15 minutes to release their juice. Slice half of the remaining berries (apx. 4 oz) and add to the crushed berries. Stir. Reserve remainder of strawberries for garnish.
In chilled bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream on medium speed while slowly adding the icing sugar and then the vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Do not beat to stiff peak stage – the whipped cream is meant to be soft (but not soupy) in this dessert. Remove bowl from mixer stand.
Break or chop 4 meringue nests into bite-size pieces and add to the whipped cream by using a rubber spatula to fold in the meringue pieces. Fold about ½ cup of the crushed berry mixture into the whipping cream and meringue mixture. Make 2-3 quick folds with the rubber spatula to incorporate the berries but do not overmix or whipping cream will turn pink.
Spoon the remaining crushed berry mixture, divided equally, into bottom of glass pedestal dessert dishes. Divide the meringue mixture evenly between the dessert glasses. Crumble remaining 2 meringues over the tops of the desserts and garnish each with remaining sliced strawberries. Add a sprig of fresh mint to each dessert, if desired. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings
Strawberry Eton Mess Dessert
A simple, naturally gluten-free, summer parfait dessert made with fresh strawberries, meringues, and whipped cream.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries, hulled and washed
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (aka berry sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
- 1½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup whipping cream (35% MF)
- ¼ cup sifted icing sugar (aka powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
- ¾ tsp pure vanilla
- 6 meringue nests (ready made or homemade)
- Sprigs of fresh mint for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Slice or quarter 8 oz of the strawberries in bowl. Loosely crush with food masher. Add 2 tbsp caster sugar along with the lemon juice and let berries sit for about 15 minutes to release their juice. Slice half of the remaining berries (apx. 4 oz) and add to the crushed berries. Stir. Reserve remainder of strawberries for garnish.
In chilled bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream on medium speed while slowly adding the icing sugar and then the vanilla. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form. Do not beat to stiff peak stage – the whipped cream is meant to be soft (but not soupy) in this dessert. Remove bowl from mixer stand.
Break or chop 4 meringue nests into bite-size pieces and add to the whipped cream by using a rubber spatula to fold in the meringue pieces. Fold about ½ cup of the crushed berry mixture into the whipping cream and meringue mixture. Make 2-3 quick folds with a rubber spatula to incorporate the berries but do not overmix or whipping cream will turn pink.
Spoon the remaining crushed berry mixture, divided equally, into bottom of glass pedestal dessert dishes. Divide the meringue mixture evenly between the dessert dishes. Crumble remaining 2 meringues over the tops of the desserts and garnish each with remaining sliced strawberries. Add a sprig of fresh mint to each dessert, if desired. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Yield: 4 servings
Meringue Nests
Ingredients:
2 large egg whites, room temperature
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup caster sugar (aka berry sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
¼ tsp almond flavoring
Method:
With heavy marker, draw six 3” circles, about 1½ “apart, on parchment paper the size of baking sheet. Flip parchment sheet over on to cookie sheet so the marked side of the parchment is on the underside and won’t transfer onto the meringues. The marked circles should still be visible as templates. Preheat oven to 225°F.
Place eggs in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Whip on medium low speed until eggs become frothy.
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and add the sugar slowly and gradually, a tablespoon at a time. Add the almond flavoring. Increase speed to high and continue to whip the meringue until it is stiff, about 5-8 minutes.
Fill large pastry bag, fitted with a large open star decorating tip (e.g., Wilton 8B), with the meringue mixture. Pipe into 3” circles, using the template on the parchment paper, first outlining the outer edge of the circle then filling in the centre with another smaller circle of meringue. Add one more layer of meringue piped on the top of the outer edge of the circle. This will form a shallow cavity in the centre of the meringue nest for filling, if desired. Alternatively, the meringues can be dropped by large tablespoonful onto parchment paper and swirled with the back of the spoon, creating a cavity in centre.
Bake for approximately 1¼ – 1½ hours, or until meringues appear dry, crisp, and hard and can easily be peeled from the parchment paper but are not brown on the underneath side. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely for at least 2 hours or longer to prevent the meringues from cracking due to the shock of temperature change.
Use immediately or store between layers of parchment paper in airtight container on counter or in refrigerator or, for longer storage, in the freezer.
Yield: 6 – 3” meringue nests
Meringue Nests
These meringue nests are perfect filled with a favorite curd or other filling and topped with fresh fruit. May also be crumbed into desserts such as Eton Mess.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ½ cup caster sugar (aka berry sugar or instant dissolving sugar)
- ¼ tsp almond flavoring
Instructions
With heavy marker, draw six 3” circles, about 1½“ apart, on parchment paper the size of baking sheet. Flip parchment sheet over on to baking sheet so the marked side of the parchment is on the underside and won’t transfer onto the meringues. The marked circles should still be visible as templates. Preheat oven to 225°F.
- Place eggs in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Whip on medium low speed until eggs become frothy.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high and add the sugar slowly and gradually, a tablespoon at a time. Add the almond flavoring. Increase speed to high and continue to whip the meringue until it is stiff, about 5-8 minutes.
- Fill large pastry bag, fitted with a large open star decorating tip (e.g., Wilton 8B), with the meringue mixture. Pipe into 3” circles, using the template on the parchment paper, first outlining the outer edge of the circle then filling in the centre with another smaller circle of meringue. Add one more layer of meringue piped on the top of the outer edge of the circle. This will form a shallow cavity in the centre of the meringue nest for filling, if desired. Alternatively, the meringues can be dropped by large tablespoonful onto parchment paper and swirled with the back of the spoon, creating a cavity in centre.
- Bake for approximately 1¼ - 1½ hours, or until meringues appear dry, crisp, and hard and can easily be peeled from the parchment paper but are not brown on the underneath side. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely for at least 2 hours or longer to prevent the meringues from cracking due to the shock of temperature change.
- Use immediately or store between layers of parchment paper in airtight container on counter or in refrigerator or, for longer storage, in the freezer.
Recipe Notes
Yield: 6 – 3” meringue nests
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For other desserts from My Island Bistro Kitchen featuring strawberries, click on the links below:
Glazed Strawberry Pie
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Ripple Ice Cream
Old-fashioned Stewed Rhubarb
Old-fashioned stewed rhubarb is so simple to make and so tasty. During my growing up years, stewed rhubarb was a staple in the refrigerator during rhubarb season. My mother and grandmother both cooked the rhubarb slowly in a water and sugar mixture in the oven. This helped to retain the shape of the rhubarb and also its lovely rosy color. Cooking it on the stove, or in the oven at a higher temperature, would turn the rhubarb into sauce which is entirely different from this stewed rhubarb recipe.
While neither my mother or grandmother added anything to their stewed rhubarb, I add a small amount of pulp-free orange juice and a sprinkle of nutmeg which I think enhances the syrup in which the rhubarb is stewed and with which it is served.
My grandmother would often serve this stewed rhubarb with biscuits made with homemade cream and slathered with homemade butter. She lived on a farm so had fresh cream daily and it was used liberally. (You can find my tea biscuit recipe here.) Stewed rhubarb would often be dessert after supper.
I freeze a lot of rhubarb for winter usage and will often have a dish of stewed rhubarb in the fridge any time over the year because it can easily be made with frozen rhubarb.
Made with only five basic ingredients, it doesn’t get much simpler (or more tasty) than Old-fashioned Stewed Rhubarb.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
Stewed Rhubarb
Ingredients:
1 lb rhubarb, chopped into ¾“ pieces (approximately 3¾ cups chopped)
¾ cup hot water
1 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
1½ tbsp pulp-free orange juice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Method:
Preheat oven to 235°F oven.
In small saucepan over medium high heat, bring the hot water and sugar to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 4 minutes.
Place rhubarb in casserole (apx. 2-quart size). Add the orange juice and nutmeg to the hot water and sugar mixture and pour over the rhubarb. Cover and place in oven for approximately 55-65 minutes, or until rhubarb is fork tender. Do not overcook or rhubarb will lose its shape and turn into sauce.
Yield: Apx. 5-6 servings
Stewed Rhubarb
Ruby red rhubarb stewed slowly in the oven to retain its shape and color makes a wonderful light dessert, especially when served with homemade biscuits. May be made with either fresh or frozen rhubarb.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb rhubarb, chopped into ¾“ pieces (approximately 3¾ cups chopped)
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1½ tbsp pulp-free orange juice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 235°F oven.
- In small saucepan over medium high heat, bring the hot water and sugar to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 4 minutes.
- Place rhubarb in casserole (apx. 2-quart size). Add the orange juice and nutmeg to the hot water and sugar mixture and pour over the rhubarb. Cover and place in oven for approximately 55-65 minutes, or until rhubarb is fork tender. Do not overcook or rhubarb will lose its shape and turn into sauce.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 5-6 servings
For other great rhubarb dessert recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
Rhubarb Custard Torte
Rhubarb Pudding Cake
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Rhubarb Pie
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Classic Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce
Sticky Date Pudding (aka Sticky Toffee Pudding) has a British origin and is often served as the Christmas pudding. This pudding is basically a dense, but tender, sponge cake made with cooked dates. It’s really nothing more elaborate or complicated than that.
My version of this classic pudding starts with soaking the chopped dates in rum allowing them to absorb the flavour, then slowly simmering the dates in water to soften. The dates, the primary ingredient in the pudding, add sweetness and texture to the pudding without turning it into a heavy pudding. This pudding is subtly spiced with a blend of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
I like to make this pudding in small one-half cup size ramekins for a couple of reasons. First, I like the look of a small pudding on each plate and, second, this pudding freezes well and the ramekin-sized puddings are perfect for freezing individual servings.
Sticky Date Pudding is most commonly served warm with a decadently rich toffee sauce made with butter, dark brown sugar, and whipping cream. I add a dash of rum to the sauce to deepen the flavour. Add a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla or maple ice cream to really dress the pudding to the nines!
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce
Ingredients for Pudding:
7 oz (about 1 1/3 cups) pitted dates, coarsely chopped
¼ cup dark rum
1 cup water
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
¼ cup butter, softened at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp grated orange rind
1½ tbsp pure maple syrup
1½ tsp vanilla
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp salt
Ingredients for Toffee Sauce:
¾ cup butter (no substitutes)
1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
¾ cup whipping cream (35% M.F.)
2 tbsp rum
2 tsp vanilla
Method for Pudding:
In saucepan, pour rum over dates. Let stand 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add the cup of water and bring the dates, rum, and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and boil, uncovered, gently for approximately 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from heat and add the baking soda. Stir well. Let mixture stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to loosely break up the dates.
Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
While date mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugars together in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the orange rind, maple syrup and vanilla.
Sift the dry ingredients together and incorporate into the creamed mixture just until they are completely blended. Stir in the date mixture.
Grease ten (10) ½-cup ramekins and place on rimmed baking sheet. Distribute the batter evenly between the ramekins, filling each no more than about 2/3 full. Smooth tops with knife. Bake for 25 minutes, or until pudding springs back to a light touch and a cake tester inserted into center of pudding comes out clean. Run tip of pare knife around each pudding to loosen any parts that may have stuck to ramekin. Turn puddings out on to individual serving plates. Serve warm with toffee sauce and, if desired, a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla or maple ice cream.
Method for Toffee Sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the cream and reduce heat to simmer. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thick, about 6-8 minutes or so. Remove from heat and stir in the rum and vanilla. Serve warm over sticky date pudding. (Sauce will thicken as it starts to cool slightly).
Yield: 10 servings
NOTE 1: Pudding may also be baked in a greased (or parchment-lined) 9” baking pan for approximately 30-35 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center of pudding comes out clean and pudding springs back to a light touch. Cut into squares and serve warm with the warm toffee sauce.
NOTE 2: This pudding freezes well so can be made ahead of when needed. Simply thaw at room temperature and reheat pudding for a few seconds in microwave.
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce
A deliciously moist and delicately spiced rich date pudding best served with a rich and luscious toffee sauce.
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 7 oz about 1 1/3 cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup dark rum
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/8 tsp baking soda
- ¼ cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp grated orange rind
- 1½ tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp salt
Ingredients for Toffee Sauce:
- ¾ cup butter (no substitutes)
- 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup whipping cream, 35% M.F.
- 2 tbsp rum
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Method for Pudding:
- In saucepan, pour rum over dates. Let stand 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Add the cup of water and bring the dates, rum, and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and boil, uncovered, gently for approximately 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from heat and add the baking soda. Stir well. Let mixture stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to loosely break up the dates.
- Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
- While date mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugars together in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the orange rind, maple syrup and vanilla.
- Sift the dry ingredients together and incorporate into the creamed mixture just until they are completely blended. Stir in the date mixture.
- Grease ten (10) ½-cup ramekins and place on rimmed baking sheet. Distribute the batter evenly between the ramekins, filling each no more than about 2/3 full. Smooth tops with knife. Bake for 25 minutes, or until pudding springs back to a light touch and a cake tester inserted into center of pudding comes out clean. Run tip of pare knife around each pudding to loosen any parts that may have stuck to ramekin. Turn puddings out on to individual serving plates. Serve warm with toffee sauce and, if desired, a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla or maple ice cream.
Method for Toffee Sauce:
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the cream and reduce heat to simmer. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thick, about 6-8 minutes or so. Remove from heat and stir in the rum and vanilla. Serve warm over sticky date pudding. (Sauce will thicken as it starts to cool slightly).
Recipe Notes
Yield: 10 servings NOTE 1: Pudding may also be baked in a greased (or parchment-lined) 9” baking pan for approximately 30-35 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center of pudding comes out clean and pudding springs back to a light touch. Cut into squares and serve warm with the warm toffee sauce. NOTE 2: This pudding freezes well so can be made ahead of when needed. Simply thaw at room temperature and reheat pudding for a few seconds in microwave.
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Gluten Free Butter Tarts
These old-fashioned butter tarts are actually both gluten free and lactose free. If you are not lactose intolerant, simply substitute regular butter and milk in the recipe.
Quite some time ago, I shared my traditional butter tart recipe. However, folks have been inquiring about a gluten-free recipe for the tarts so here it is. I won’t repeat my hints and tips for making butter tarts in this posting because the same ones hold true for the gluten-free version so I am directing readers to my original posting for butter tarts for this information.
I don’t like a big glob of thick pastry in my butter tarts. As far as I am concerned, it is the gooey, sweet filling that is the star in these tarts. The pastry is involved just because it is the vessel to hold the filling. So, I use a thin rolled pastry and fit the pastry neatly and tidily into the muffin tin cups.
The pastry, nonetheless, still has to be tender and flaky because it is half the equation in these Canadian culinary delicacies. The gluten-free pastry recipe is the one that I developed and perfected first for my gluten-free apple pie, originally published to my website on January 11, 2018. It is now my go-to pastry recipe since it is perfectly tender and flaky and works well with sweet and savory pies as well as tarts.
As with my traditional butter tarts, you will find that the filling is slightly gooey but not too runny. I don’t care for tarts that, as soon as you bite into them, the filling pours out. The reason why I like a semi-solid filling is that I believe butter tarts should be able to be picked up off a plate and eaten by hand with no need for a plate and fork to catch a runny filling. This, of course, is purely a personal preference.
[Printable recipe follows at end of posting]
Gluten-Free Lactose-Free Butter Tarts
Ingredients:
For Pastry:
2 cups (276g) gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
¼ cup cold lactose-free butter (76g)
¼ cup cold lard (76g)
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
Enough water to make 2/3 cup liquid
For Filling:
½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 extra-large eggs, light beaten
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
¼ cup melted lactose-free butter (no substitutes)
2 tbsp lactose-free milk (2%MF or 3%MF)
1½ tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp white vinegar
Dash salt
Method:
For Pastry: Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together. Cut the butter and lard into chunks and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
In a measuring cup, whisk the egg and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork or hands. Add only enough water that the dough clings together and can be gathered into a ball (it may not take all the liquid).
Divide the dough in four pieces. Form disk shapes with each piece. Place disks in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to chill. Remove one disk at a time from the refrigerator and break off chunks, about 2 oz in size, which should give ample for 4” circles to be cut for each tart. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper) lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” thickness. Peel the top piece of parchment from the rolled out pastry. Cut out pastry circles with a floured 4” round cookie cutter.
Carefully transfer each cut out pastry circle to muffin tin cup. Fit the pastry into the cup, ensuring there are no air pockets between the pastry and the muffin cups. Repeat with chilled dough to make enough pastry circles for 12 tart shells, gathering up and re-rolling pastry scraps as necessary. Place pan of tart shells in freezer for about 12-15 minutes to chill to prevent shrinkage of pastry during baking.
For Filling: Preheat oven to 400°F. Add all ingredients, in order given, into a 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk or stir until ingredients are well blended. Remove the muffin cups from the freezer and pour filling equally into the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake tarts for 17-19 minutes or until filling domes and appears set. Let tarts cool at least 30 minutes in muffin tins on cooling rack. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently lift the tarts from the muffin cups.
Yield: 12 tarts
Gluten-Free Butter Tarts
These gluten-free (and lactose-free) melt-in-your-mouth pastries are filled with a delectable, slightly gooey, but not too runny, buttery rich caramel-like filling. A classic Canadian culinary delicacy.
Servings 11
Ingredients
For Pastry:
- 2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour (276g)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup cold lactose-free butter (76g)
- ¼ cup cold lard (76g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Enough water to make 2/3 cup liquid
For Filling:
- ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 extra-large eggs, light beaten
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted lactose-free butter (no substitutes)
- 2 tbsp lactose-free milk (2%MF or 3%MF)
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Dash salt
Instructions
For Pastry:
- Lightly grease 12 muffin cups. In medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together. Cut the butter and lard into chunks and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, cut the butter and lard into the flour until the fats resemble the size of large peas.
- In a measuring cup, whisk the egg and vinegar together. Add enough cold water to measure 2/3 cup. Add the egg-vinegar-water mixture to the flour, small amounts at a time, and mix with a fork or hands. Add only enough water that the dough clings together and can be gathered into a ball (it may not take all the liquid).
- Divide the dough in four pieces. Form disk shapes with each piece. Place disks in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes to chill. Remove one disk at a time from the refrigerator and break off chunks, about 2 oz in size, which should give ample for 4” circles to be cut for each tart. Place dough between two sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper) lightly dusted with flour. Roll pastry to desired thickness, generally between 1/16”and 1/8” thickness. Peel the top piece of parchment from the rolled out pastry. Cut out pastry circles with a floured 4” round cookie cutter.
- Carefully transfer each cut out pastry circle to muffin tin cup. Fit the pastry into the cup, ensuring there are no air pockets between the pastry and the muffin cups. Repeat with chilled dough to make enough pastry circles for 12 tart shells, gathering up and re-rolling pastry scraps as necessary. Place pan of tart shells in freezer for about 12-15 minutes to chill to prevent shrinkage of pastry during baking.
For Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Add all ingredients, in order given, into a 4-cup measuring cup. Whisk or stir until ingredients are well blended. Remove the muffin cups from the freezer and pour filling equally into the 12 muffin cups. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake tarts for 17-19 minutes or until filling domes and appears set. Let tarts cool at least 30 minutes in muffin tins on cooling rack. Using the tip of a sharp knife, gently lift the tarts from the muffin cups.
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