Ingredients:
For pudding
1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
For sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation:
Make pudding
Preheat oven to 375°F. And brush butter and dust flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.
Coarsely chop dates and in a saucepan simmer dates in just enough water to cover, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined. Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.
Make sauce while pudding is cooling
In a heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.
Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce.
Gurjyote Singh Sethi, has over 16 years’ experience in the hospitality Industry. He has been associated with leading hotels like the Hyatt Regency New Delhi, Marriott Welcome Hotel, Fusion (Multi cuisine food Joint) Self Owned, Crown Plaza Gurgaon by (IHG), and Aman Resorts New Delhi, The Claridges Surajkund and Vivanta by Taj at Surajkund. Email: gurjyote@gmail.com.
