RUM BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING

 

This is one of those old-fashioned English style puddings that magically make their own sauce while they bake, filling the kitchen with the delicious aroma of homespun memories.  Best served warm out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to get all melty over the toasty brown crust and butterscotch sauce that tastes just like those Rum & Butter Lifesavers from when we were kids.

On my Mom's side, I come from a long line of Bloors, Reids and other decidedly British ancestors with their feet firmly transplanted in Canada and their cooking deeply entrenched in the wholesome simplicity of Jolly Old England. 

Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, shepherd's pie, peppery sausage rolls, crispy oven roasted potatoes, fish and chips with mushy peas, Melton Mowbray pies, kippers with butter, bangers and mash, and of course sweet puddings.  Golden syrup pudding, jam roly poly, Christmas pudding, lemon sponge pudding, sticky toffee pudding.......steamed or baked.......served warm with custard sauce, clotted cream or brandy hard sauce, it didn't matter to me, if there was 'pud' for dessert all was well with the world.

So the other day when I came across These Tastes of Mine food blog and Daiming Zhu's recipe for Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding the cockles of my heart grew warm, my tummy filled with anticipation and I set out to recreate a memory lane taste treat.

I changed the recipe just a bit and also added a swish or two of aromatic amber rum.  Blimey that was a good idea!  Keep in mind you want as much of the delicious top crust as you can get, without spreading the pudding batter too thin, so best to use an oblong or oval baking dish if you have it, rather than a deep pie plate or deep casserole dish. 

So if you're feeling like a simple, tasty, heartwarming dessert, give this one a try and Bob's your uncle. 

RUM BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
Just under 1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
5 tablespoons golden syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups boiling water
3-4 tablespoons amber, dark or light rum

Preheat oven to 350F - 355F.  Grease 6-cup casserole dish.  Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, all of the flour and salt in a bowl.  Add the melted butter, egg, milk and 2 tablespoons of the golden syrup and stir until combined.  Spoon into greased dish.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and cornstarch.  Sprinkle evenly over the pudding mixture.

Combine boiling water with remaining 3 tablespoons golden syrup and rum.  Pour gently over top of pudding mixture.  Bake 40-45 minutes until the top is toasty golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

**The next time I make this I'm going to sprinkle plump golden raisins in the baking pan before adding the pudding batter.  Worth a try!**