Steamed Pudding - April Daring Bakers

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Suet: the fat that gathers around the kidney of a cow or sheep. Ick. I probably would've skipped this challenge, but I also skipped last month's. I immediately consulted my English friend Alex to see if she knew where I could find suet. She didn't know anywhere locally that sold it, but told me that she could bring some suet in pellet form back from England when she went in May. No good, that would be too late. Alex offered that the meat department at Whole Foods gave her some beef fat to use in place of suet. I opted to try a non-suet pudding.


After some internet research, I came across a steamed pudding recipe that got rave reviews. Somehow, we happened to have Lyle's Golden Syrup in our pantry. It has a nice flavor - like a cross between honey and molasses. I jury-rigged a steamer and pudding bowl, and set about steaming my cake.

It was late by the time the cake was done, and hubs had fallen asleep. He stumbled to the kitchen to try some, and within seconds, we had eaten half the cake. It was so fluffy, and the syrup and added cranberries tasted sooo good.


Steamed Golden Syrup Spongecake
from Gourmet, March 2005
As seen on epicurious.com


1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bowl
1/4 cup Lyle's Golden Syrup*, plus additional for drizzling
1/3 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups self-rising all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream

Add 2 inches water to a large wide pot. Set a rack or a few metal cookie cutters in bottom of pot and bring water to a boil. Bring 3 cups additional water to a simmer in a small saucepan.
Butter a 1-quart heatproof bowl, then pour 1/4 cup syrup into bottom. Beat together butter and sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then add flour and milk alternately in batches, beating until combined. Pour batter over syrup. Cover bowl with a large round of wax paper, then top with foil, crimping tightly around edge. Tie string around rim to secure.

Set covered bowl on rack (water should come three fourths of the way up side of bowl; add simmering water if necessary), cover pot, and steam cake over simmering water 1 hour, 15 minutes. Remove bowl from pot and let stand 5 minutes. Discard foil and wax paper. Invert a plate over bowl, then invert cake onto plate. Serve immediately, drizzled with cream and additional syrup.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

The weather is warming up here, so my comfort food phase is coming to a close.

Mention the words, "tuna noodle casserole," to someone, and you're likely to get one of two reactions: dreamy rememberance or utter disgust. It's a love it or hate it thing - no middle ground. I'm a sucker for anything with pasta, so I fall into the former group. The combination of noodles, veggies, and a creamy homemade sauce makes this dish irresistable. I upped the veggie content and lowered the amount of butter from the original recipe. I sprinkled some cheese on top, but it nearly burned by the time the casserole was done. I nixed it from the recipe.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
Adapted from allrecipes.com

8 oz egg noodles (I like skinny)
2 celery stalks, chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 leek, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 garlic clove, minced
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
½ c frozen peas

3 Tbs butter
¼ c flour
2 c milk (lowfat is fine)
A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

12 oz can chunk light tuna in water, drained
3 Tbs butter
¾ c panko crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a medium baking dish (3 quart works fine).

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain.

Melt 1 Tbs butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the celery, onion, leek, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Melt 2 Tbs butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and noodles. Transfer to baking dish. Melt the 3 Tbs butter in a small bowl, mix with panko crumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole.

Bake 25 minutes in oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Pho Tai (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

When I'm sick, I crave soup. Spicy soup. One thing that makes me feel instantly better is pho tai. Luckily, we have a sizable Vietnamese community in our city, and a steaming bowl of noodle soup is never far. Hubs and I have our favorite restaurants depending on what type of noodle soup we want - one place for the beef soup with rice noodles, one place for the seafood soup with glass noodles. I swear, the broth has healing properties.

The soup base was easier to make than I thought. Allow plenty time for the broth to cook and develop its flavor. I recommend making the broth a day ahead (if time allows). This way, you can let it cool overnight, and skim the off the fat very easily.


Pho Tai
Adapted from Asian Noodles
By Nina Simonds

Beef Stock:
4 lbs of beef shinbones or oxtails (I used a combination)
16 cups water
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced
6 star anise
4 cinnamon sticks

¼ c fish sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
6 oz thin rice noodles, softened in hot water, cooked according to the package directions, and drained
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 jalepeno pepper, thinly sliced into rings
½ lb boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of fat and gristle, and cut into very thin slices

2 c bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
¼ c minced scallions, green part only
¼ c minced fresh cilantro
1 c Thai basil leaves, or sweet basil leaves

In a large pot, combine the ingredients for the beef stock. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1.5 hours, skimming any impurities and fat from the surface.

Strain broth into another large pot. Remove any meat from the bones and cut into thin slices. Discard the bones and the stock seasonings. Skim any fat from the surface of the stock. Add the fish sauce. Season with salt and black pepper and keep warm over low heat.

Divide the noodles among six soup bowls. Set the lime wedges and jalapeno slices on a plate.

Add the reserved cooked sliced beef, the sirloin, and bean sprouts to the hot soup. Bring to a boil and cook until the sirloin loses its pink color, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Ladle the soup over the noodles. Sprinkle bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro, and basil on top. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeno slices.

Homemade Baby Food With the Beaba

My sister gave us a Beaba Babycook as a shower gift. As a lover of all things found at Williams-Sonoma, she couldn't resist a new gadget, even if it wasn't for herself. Hubs laughs at me because I call it the "baby cooker." We hadn't planned on using a special appliance, but since we had it, why not give it a try?

The cooker is super simple to use. Pour some water in the well, dump the veggies in the steamer basket, close it up, and turn it on. It automatically shuts off when the food is cooked.

Once done, pour the food into the blender section, and process until smooth. Add a little water as necessary to acheive desired consistency. Voila! Pureed peas.

Most importantly, the squirt loves it.

Clean-up is easy. Some parts are dishwasher-safe, and some are not, so it is important to read the manual.

Chocolate "Eggs" with Vanilla Bean Mousse and Mango Puree

I have a confession. I don't like Cadbury Creme Eggs. I loved them as a kid, mostly because I loved the old commercials where the white bunny "bawked" like a chicken and magically "laid" a creme egg. As an adult, my sweet tooth has mellowed. I find the insides of creme eggs too sweet for my taste. Which is why I love this updated version - creamy but not too sweet.

The chocolate bowls were a ton of fun to make. I saw the idea on la prochaine fois by Cathy. She also gave some good hints on working with the balloons.

The directions are pretty easy: melt chocolate, cool to room temperature, dip balloons, set on parchment, let cool until set. To remove balloons, prick with a pin so the air slowly escapes, and peel the balloon from the chocolate.


I found the recipe for the mousse on Tartelette. This site is one of my favorite food blogs. I can't decide which is more beautiful - her culinary creations or the photographs of them. Her recipe was a cardamom-infused mousse, which I skipped. It was delicious just the same. A simple puree of fresh mango added the "yolk" to the eggs.


Vanilla Bean Mousse
Adapted from Vanilla Bean Cardamom Mousse
By Helene of Tartelette


3 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
1 ½ tsp powdered gelatin
¼ c cold water, divided
½ c sugar
½ vanilla bean, split open and seeded
1 c heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and the salt. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 Tbs of water, and let sit.

Meanwhiler, combine the sugar and remaing 2 Tbs of water in a heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a rapid boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, uncover and cook until the mixture reaches 238 degrees F.

Strain the pods and seeds in a container with a spout; it will be easier to add to the yolks. Pour the syrup slowly and in a steady stream into the egg yolks with the machine running on medium high. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds or until dissolved. Add it to the yolk mixture along with the seeds from the vanilla bean. Continue to whisk on medium high until it triples in volume and cools to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Add it to the mousse base and fold the two gently together. Let chill for at least 1 hour.


To assemble the eggs: Puree the flesh of 1 ripe mango in a food processor until smooth. Spoon the mousse into a piping bag. Fill the chocolate cups, and spoon a dollop of mango into the center.