CARAMEL GINGER STEAMED PUDDING WITH CALVADOS CUSTARD

PREP + COOK TIME 1 HOUR 45 MINUTES (+ STANDING) SERVES 8

1 cup (220g) caster sugar

½ cup (125ml) water

½ cup (110g) crystallised ginger, sliced thinly

¼ cup (90g) honey

125g butter, softened

1 teaspoon freshly grated

or ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 eggs

¾ cup (110g) plain flour

¾ cup (110g) self-raising flour

½ cup (125ml) milk

CALVADOS CUSTARD

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways

1½ cups (375ml) milk

1 cup (250ml) pouring cream

4 egg yolks

¼ cup (55g) caster sugar

3 teaspoons cornflour

2 tablespoons calvados (apple brandy)

(see tips)

1 Cook half the sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling pan often, for 3 minutes or until sugar is deep golden. Remove from heat; carefully pour in the water all at once (mixture will boil). Return to heat; cook for 3 minutes or until caramel has mostly dissolved. Stand for 5 minutes.

2 Grease a 1.5-litre (6-cup) pudding steamer and lid; line base of steamer with baking paper.

3 Sprinkle two-thirds of the crystallised ginger over the base of steamer; drizzle with honey.

4 Beat butter, remaining sugar and spices in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sifted flours and remaining crystallised ginger, then milk and cooled toffee, in two batches.

5 Pour pudding mixture into steamer. Cover steamer with the lid (or pleated baking paper and foil secured with string). Place steamer in a large saucepan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the steamer; cover pan with a tight-fitting lid. Boil pudding for 1½ hours, replenishing the water as necessary to maintain its level. Remove steamer from pan; stand for 10 minutes before inverting pudding onto serving a plate.

6 Meanwhile, make calvados custard.

7 Serve pudding with custard.

CALVADOS CUSTARD

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a medium saucepan, add milk and cream; cook, stirring, over medium heat for 3 minutes or until mixture comes to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a medium heatproof bowl until combined. Strain hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to cleaned pan; cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 minutes or until custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Stir in calvados.