Blogs

[#1]

Hello, foodies…

Mary was the first ITKWD team member to share her family’s holiday traditions—not to mention a divine recipe! So who’s next? Jenn L.—our team’s social guru who helps me manage—and understand!—my social pages. From Facebook and Twitter to Instagram and Pinterest, Jenn does it all and helps me stay connected with you all wherever you are. Many thanks to Jenn for all she does on the team and for sharing today’s recipe.



DV: Tell me about the holidays in your house. Who’s there? What are some of your annual traditions?
JL: The holidays at my house are cozy. My father, brother, and I spend our time drinking hot chocolate and sharing memories of past holidays and dusting off the VCR to watch old family movies. We love swapping stories of our favorite holiday memories – especially when we were kids and had matching Supergirl & Superman pajamas!

My dad and I have always been close and even when I was traveling abroad, he was only a phone call away. Even though I’m all grown up now, I’ll always be Daddy’s Little Girl – especially during the holidays.

DV: What recipe did you submit and why is it a “favorite” in your house?
JL: This recipe wasn’t always a staple in my family’s holiday. The sticky toffee pudding recipe came from my “home away from home” across the pond in London. In 2003, I decided to go to school in London for my bachelor’s degree. Not sure if this was a crazy giant step to take, or not, I looked to my family for support and they graciously encouraged my decision. A few weeks later, I was enrolled and visa-ready and headed off on a plane to the UK for a 3 year program.

While I missed many things about home, I loved adopting new customs and making new friends. This new tradition was born from my “replacement family” – my friends and their families’ customs. Living abroad during Thanksgiving is a particularly lonely time, as all you crave is turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie (and family, of course). And since this is the classic American holiday, I felt it was my duty to share it with my new “family” in London.

I hosted a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner for my newfound family, with my British friends providing dessert for my quintessential American fare. Immediately I took a liking to the Sticky Toffee Pudding because, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love toffee? It’s sweet and the texture of the cake drinks up the buttery caramel goodness. From that day forward, I had to have this dessert with every Thanksgiving dinner, because enjoying it reminded me of the love and friendship I discovered.



Ready to make Jenn’s Sticky Toffee Pudding? Here’s the recipe…in photos!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Serves 8-10

This recipe is prepared using the Cook's Essentials® Color Smart Nonstick 10-Piece Aluminum Cookware Set (K39180).
 
Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.
 
Ingredients:
 
1/2 cup pitted dates, finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
3 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
1 cup self-rising cake flour, plus additional for flouring pan
2-1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1/8 tsp salt + a pinch
2/3 cup water
 
Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8" x 2" round cake pan.

Bring 1 cup of water to a simmer in a 1-qt heavy saucepan. Add the dates and the cranberries and simmer, covered, until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg until well combined.

Add the flour and 1/8 tsp salt to the bowl and continue to mix at low speed until just combined. Add the dates and the cranberries. Mix all ingredients together until they’re fully incorporated.
 
Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake on the middle rack until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

While the pudding is baking, melt the remaining 2 sticks of butter in a 2-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the remaining 2 cups brown sugar, 2/3 cup water, and a pinch of salt. Boil the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce is reduced to about 2-1/4 cups, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside.

When finished baking, remove the pudding from the oven and poke all over at 1” intervals with a chopstick (or other similarly shaped tool).

Pour half of the warm sauce evenly over the hot pudding.

Let the pudding stand at room temperature until almost all of the sauce is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake pan. Cover the pudding with a plate and carefully invert the pudding so that it comes out onto the plate.

Serve immediately with the remaining warm sauce.

I can’t wait for some Sticky Toffee Pudding! How about you? What kind of pudding could you eat today, tomorrow & every day? Is it Sticky Toffee Pudding? Is it a classic vanilla or chocolate? Or, would you like a big bowl of my Nana’s Nanner Pudding? See you Wednesday at 8pm ET.

Keep it flavorful!
—David

P.S. Have you seen my new iPhone app? It's AWESOME! And, it's a free download at the App Store!