Gooseberry Sussex Pond Pudding

 

This weekend I also faced my pies and tarts technical challenge from my bake off, which was set as a Sussex pond pudding. If you don't know what this classic dessert is, it's a steamed suet pastry pudding enclosing a mixture of butter and sugar which melt to become a 'pond' and usually features lemon to give it a distinct flavour. I decided to change it up slight and swap the lemon out for gooseberries to make it a bit lighter and provide a fruity taste. 

Recipe - Serves 6 

• 125g self raising flour
• 50g vegetable suet
• 35ml milk 
• 40ml water
• 100g gooseberries 
• 50g butter, cubed
• 50g brown sugar

Prepare a pudding basin by greasing lightly with butter and set aside. For the suet crust, put the flour and suet into a bowl. Add the milk and water to the suet and mix to make a soft dough. Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Remove one quarter for the lid then roll the rest out to a circle big enough to line the pudding basin. Line the pudding basin with pastry, leaving an overlap around the edges. 

For the filling, mix the gooseberries together in a mixing bowl with the butter and sugar. Place a little this mixture in the pudding basin on top of the suet pastry. Roll out the reserved suet pastry to a circle to fit on top of the pudding and seal by folding in the overhanging edges. 

Cut a square of foil and a square of baking paper th same size. Put the foil on top of the baking paper and fold to make a pleat in the centre. Place over the top of the pudding and use string to secure it to the basin by tying it around the edges. Fold any overhanging baking paper and foil upwards. 

Pour boiling water into a large saucepan 2-3cm up the sides. Place the lid of a jam jar in a large saucepan to stop the basin touching the bottom of the pan. Add the pudding basin to the pan and cover with a lid. Simmer for 1.5 hours.  Once cooked, remove carefully from the pan, undo the string and peel off the baking paper and foil, then invert the basin onto a serving plate. Remove the pudding basin and serve in slices.