{april daring bakers: traditional british pudding}

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

Suet: the hard fat found around the kidneys and loins of a cow or sheep. When I read this months challenge, I have to admit that I was pretty grossed out by the thought of suet. Thankfully, Esther was kind enough to allow other fat substitutes as well as pretty much any variation on a traditional pudding we wanted, savory or sweet. Sure, suet might be just as bad butter (what I chose to use), but I felt better about using it vs. actual hard fat from a cow.

As I thought about the challenge, I became more excited to try it. John was also thrilled to find out I'd be making something savory this month. As we are taking on the challenge of eating foods produced within 100 miles of where we live, I was very happy to discover I could make this entire challenge with what I had on hand and a few things from the local farmers market. Buckwheat was the flour I used for the crust and since there is no gluten in buckwheat, the crust did not get as crispy as others. It was still tasty, but hopefully after my trip to the local flour mill I will be able to make these again using whole wheat flour. For the inside I used local bratwursts, potatoes and green onions. I used individual sized ramekins to steam the puddings and each one was a perfect serving size. Even though I put some beer and Worcestershire sauce in the pudding, it was not as juicy as I'd imagined. I saw that some people were putting a gravy into their pudding after it had been steamed and think I will try that next time. It was still incredibly filling and full of flavor. Thank you Esther for this challenge!

Recipe and pics after the jump
 
This was by far one of the least time consuming challenges I've participated in so far. I can see a lot of potential with these puddings and plan to continue making them in the future with a variety of savory fillings. Hopefully I can find some local ingredients to create a sweeter version as well. I saw some rhubarb versions that look tempting and may give one of those a shot. For now you can see my version below. See the original recipes over at The Daring Kitchen.

{savory pudding crust}

ingredients

12 ounces Buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cup of butter
Little less than a cup of water

directions

Begin by mixing the flour and butter together. Add in the salt and pepper.

Slowly add in the water as you continue to blend the pastry together. When it reaches its dough-like consistency, it is ready.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface but reserve enough dough to put a lid on your ramekin. Place into lightly greased ramekins and set aside.

{savory filling}

ingredients

3 bratwursts, sliced
4-5 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
3/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons flour
salt + pepper to taste
handful of fresh thyme
Worcestershire sauce
dark beer

directions

In a bowl combine the bratwursts, potatoes, green onions, flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Mix to coat.

Spoon into the ramekins. Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a couple glugs of beer. Top with remaining crust and pinch shut. Top with a small piece of parchment paper and tin foile to seal.

Place in steamer with boiling water and steam for 1 - 1.5 hours or until the crust is done. Keep in mind with the buckwheat flour that I had it never became completely crusty so I cooked it longer just to make sure. It doesn't hurt to steam it longer by any means. I imagine with a whole wheat flour the crust would be finished in about an hour, but that is simply a guess at this point.

When the puddings are done, use a knife to loosen them from the ramekins. Turn upside down and dislodge onto a serving dish. Cut open and enjoy the deliciousness!