Sticky Toffee Ginger Pudding

On our last night in England we had dinner in Exeter at a pub called the Barn Owl. For dessert Mike and I shared an order of Sticky Toffee Ginger Pudding topped with clotted cream.  I’m not much of a dessert person but this pudding was nothing short of divine.

Sadly, I have no idea how they made this wonderful dessert. An internet search reveals a variety of recipes. I decided to try the combination below – gingerbread cake with toffee sauce. While it doesn’t quite live up to my memory of the the Barn Owl’s version (probably because I don’t have any clotted cream!) it is still good. I am including a few notes for myself for next time.

Ginger Bread
adapted from Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large, heavy saucepan (a large pan = 1 less bowl to wash)
Melt 1/2 cup butter, let cool
Add and beat well:
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

In a medium bowl, sift together:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt

In another bowl combine:
1/2 cup light molasses
1/2 cup honey
1 cup hot water
1 Tbsp. grated orange rind
(Grated fresh ginger — try next time)

Add the dry ingredients and liquid ingredients alternately to the butter mix. Blend well. Pour into a greased, 9 x 9 x 2 pan.

Bake until done, 45-60 minutes.

Toffee Sauce
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
2 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter in 2 quart heavy saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

To serve, pour warm sauce over a slice of cake and top with whipped cream or ice cream, if you aren’t in England and can’t get clotted cream. Sigh.

Yeasted Tart Dough

Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.

2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, let stand until bubbly. Add egg, oil and salt. Stir in flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. This can be done by hand or in a stand mixer.

Place in an oiled bowl, turn. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down and roll out into a thin circle. Fill, brush the edges with egg wash and bake.

This dough is like pizza dough and will puff up again when it is cooking so roll it thinly.

Mushroom & Leek Galette

I’ve made this with Deborah Maddison’s yeasted tart dough and a regular pie crust. I like it best with pie crust but the yeasted tart dough is much lower in fat.

Make the dough of your choosing, see recipes below.

Filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
2 large leeks, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. mushrooms, sliced (regular button mushrooms or baby bella work nicely)
1 egg
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary (but fresh is better)
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp. Kosciusko mustard (or dijon)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Crumbled Feta

Over medium heat, saute the leeks in butter and oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms, turn up the heat and cook until browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl, mix together the egg, sour cream, mustard and parsley. Add the mushroom and leek mixture.

Roll out the dough for the galette into a large circle, about 14 inches across. Add the mushroom mixture. Fold the edges up over the filling. Sprinke some crumbled Feta over the exposed mushroom mixture.

For a pretty finish, brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash or milk.

Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Pie Dough
(this is half a recipe of Foolproof Pie Crust)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) butter or margarine
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp.) Crisco
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup ICE cold water

Combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter and Crisco into flour mixture. Add water and vinegar and mix to just combine. Chill 30 minutes before rolling.

Yeasted Tart Dough
Adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.

2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water, let stand until bubbly. Add egg, oil and salt. Stir in flour. Knead until smooth and elastic. This can be done by hand or in a stand mixer.

Place in an oiled bowl, turn. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour. Punch down and roll out into a thin circle. Fill, brush the edges with egg wash and bake.

This dough is like pizza dough and will puff up again when it is cooking so roll it thinly.