EASY SUNDAY

Recipes to to celebrate that Sunday feeling

SUNDAY IS ABOUT sharing, feasting with friends, brunches and leisurely long lunches. It’s the one day of the week when mealtimes are flexible. Sophie Gordon’s new book Sundays is a collection of fresh, modern recipes to celebrate that Sunday feeling . . . all day.

Whatever your Sunday mood, you will find the perfect recipe right here.

PRUNE STICKY TOFFEE PIE

This recipe came about by accident; I didn’t have any dates, so I swapped them out for prunes instead. The result was better than the original. Baking in a loaf tin then slicing and reheating in sauce gives the best sauce-to-sponge ratio; shout-out to my girl Ells for this revelation.

Ingredients

75g salted butter, plus a little extra for greasing

175g prunes (de-stoned weight) 150ml boiling water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 150g soft light brown sugar

2 medium eggs

2 Tbsp black treacle

150g self-raising flour icecream, cream or custard, to serve fine sea salt

For the sauce

170g salted butter

170g soft light brown sugar 2 heaped Tbsp black treacle 300ml double (heavy) cream 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin.

De-stone the prunes, then blitz in a food processor to a rough paste, or chop by hand. Add to a bowl, then pour in the boiling water and the bicarb. Stir, then set aside.

Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl. Whisk together (a hand whisk is fine) until well combined, then crack in the eggs and whisk again. Add the treacle, followed by the flour and a big pinch of salt. Whisk until you have a smooth batter, then add the prunes, along with their soaking liquid, and whisk again.

Scrape the batter into the tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer, or piece of spaghetti, poked into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat. Bubble away for 3-5 minutes until fully amalgamated into a luscious toffee sauce. Season with salt to taste for proper salted caramel vibes. Turn off the heat.

Just before serving, preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas mark 4. Line a large roasting tray with foil.

Cut the sticky toffee loaf into 8 thick slices. Dollop a large spoonful of toffee sauce on top of each slice, pop on the tray then cover the tray with foil. Heat for 8-10 minutes until bubbling. Meanwhile, reheat any remaining toffee sauce in a pan to pour over. Serve each slice covered in sauce, with icecream, cream or custard: your choice.

Tip: This sticky toffee loaf will taste even better the next day (it keeps for a week). Once baked and cooled, wrap it tightly in clingfilm and keep at room temperature. The sauce can be made in advance and kept in the fridge. It will harden once cold, but will come back together once reheated.