One of the great perks of winter in my opinion is the food we get to eat. For example, digging your spoon into a steaming hot self-saucing pudding on a cool night just has a certain attraction to it don’t you think? And entirely guilt-free of course, perhaps due to this denial twilight zone I enter into each year around this time. Whereas perish the thought of having anything containing butter and cream during summer!

So on to the caramel self-saucing pudding. I saw this recipe in the latest Better Homes & Gardens (along with a few other mouth-watering caramel recipes beckoning to be made – so get yourself a copy if you can!) but wanted to try it a few different ways. So I adapted it slightly and instead of a big pudding (which it is intended to be) I made it in ramekins to not only satisfy my sheer obsession with individual desserts, but also to try a couple of others things with it.

I made a normal one, one with pear and one with chopped up walnuts. For reporting purposes I had to of course sample all three and must say that the pear was my favourite. There is just something about the combination of a caramel baked pudding with a crunchy top and the soft pear scattered between.

I divided the recipe between six ramekins, which might be a bit too indulgent for most so when I make this again I would divide it between eight ramekins instead for a more manageable portion. Or of course in one big dish where you can dish up as much or as little as you like.

Caramel Self-Saucing Pudding
serves 6 – 8
1¼ cups self-raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
100g butter, melted
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
extra 1 cup brown sugar
1 tbs cornflour
1½ cups boiling water
½ cup pure cream

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
• Combine the flour and brown sugar in a bowl.
• Place melted butter, milk, egg and vanilla extract in a jug and whisk together.
• Add this to the flour and brown sugar and stir together until smooth.
• Spoon the mixture evenly between the ramekins (or into one large dish).
• Combine the extra brown sugar and cornflour and sprinkle evenly between the ramekins.
• Pour boiling water in a jug, add the cream and slowly pour over each pudding.
• Bake for 30 minutes (or 45 minutes if baking in one large dish), it is ready when it’s saucy on the bottom and the pudding is baked through.
• Variations: add pear or sprinkle chopped walnuts over the puddings before pouring the boiling water and cream over.

…be fearless, and have fun!

esté