Yes, you read it right! Let me explain how...
A few days back i was watching one of those stupid Reality-TV series (but i still watch them!). This one had a few American girls competing for the title of 'The American Princess', wherein they had to go through 'rigorous' training in being ladylike. Basically how to walk-the-walk, talk-the-talk, eat-the-eat and look all dressed up and elegant, upper-story being empty...not a problem.
So in one of the sessions they were being tutored on table-manners by none other than Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's butler. While he was tutoring the girls on how to eat - which fork/spoon to use etc etc, in came this delicious looking thing. And he informed us (the girls and i) that it was the 'Spotted Dick'.
Come again...Spotted what? Me and the girls asked.
Yes you heard it right, 'Spotted Dick' he said, which simply put is a traditional pudding. Now that's some pudding!! :D
So that's how i spotted the Spotted Dick. And then i had to go into my google over-drive and spot it again!
So girls (and boys) here's the Spotted Dick recipe for you:
6 servings
8 oz self-raising flour
1 pn of salt
4 oz margarine
2 oz castor sugar (superfine)
4 oz to 6 oz sultanas (big-raisins)
6 tb water
1 - Have ready a sheet of foil or a double thickness of grease proof paper brushed with melted margarine.
2 - Make the pudding crust: Sieve the flour and the salt. Rub in the margarine. Add the sugar and sultanas. Mix in the water to make a soft dough.
3 - Turn out onto a floured board and form into a roll.
4 - Wrap loosely but securely in the grease proof paper or foil. Tie or seal the ends.
5 - Place in the steamer and cover tightly. Steam for 1.1/2 to 2 hours.
6 - Serve with hot custard sauce or sprinkle with castor sugar.
Variation: At stage 3: Put the mixture in a medium-sized (1.1/2 pint) pudding basin with a round of grease proof paper in the bottom and brush all round inside with melted margarine. Smooth the top. Cover with foil, or double grease proof paper brushed underneath with melted margarine and steam for 1.1/2 to 2 hours. Serve with hot Custard sauce or sprinkle with castor sugar.
[Recipe sourced from www.recipesource.com]
Those of you, who are familiar with Irish/English cuisine will be familiar with this dessert. Some more information:
The earliest recipes for spotted dick are from 1847. For non-British readers, "spotted dick" is a boiled suet pudding, with bits of dried fruit (usually raisins or currants) that (as already noted) look like little spots.
The Oxford Companion to Food comments that, strictly speaking, "spotted dick" is made by taking a flat sheet, spreading sugar and raisins on it, then rolling it up. A similar dessert is "spotted dog," a plain cylinder of suet paste with the raisins and currants and sugar stuck into it, so that the spots are visible on the outside. Both spotted dick and spotted dog were traditionally boiled (or even steamed) in a cloth, but nowadays they are usually baked.
The dessert is slightly different in Ireland. In Ireland in the late 1800s, the tradition of yeast-bread manufacture was not strong, so most breads were raised with bicarbonate of soda and an acid, rather than with yeast, and thus called soda breads. Thus, the spotted dick in Ireland is sweet soda bread, with sugar, currants, and raisins, and it's also called the spotted dog or railway cake.
[Info courtsey www.straightdope.com]
Have a great time errr...savouring some home cooked Spotted Dick. :D
A few days back i was watching one of those stupid Reality-TV series (but i still watch them!). This one had a few American girls competing for the title of 'The American Princess', wherein they had to go through 'rigorous' training in being ladylike. Basically how to walk-the-walk, talk-the-talk, eat-the-eat and look all dressed up and elegant, upper-story being empty...not a problem.
So in one of the sessions they were being tutored on table-manners by none other than Paul Burrell, Princess Diana's butler. While he was tutoring the girls on how to eat - which fork/spoon to use etc etc, in came this delicious looking thing. And he informed us (the girls and i) that it was the 'Spotted Dick'.
Come again...Spotted what? Me and the girls asked.
Yes you heard it right, 'Spotted Dick' he said, which simply put is a traditional pudding. Now that's some pudding!! :D
So that's how i spotted the Spotted Dick. And then i had to go into my google over-drive and spot it again!
So girls (and boys) here's the Spotted Dick recipe for you:
6 servings
8 oz self-raising flour
1 pn of salt
4 oz margarine
2 oz castor sugar (superfine)
4 oz to 6 oz sultanas (big-raisins)
6 tb water
1 - Have ready a sheet of foil or a double thickness of grease proof paper brushed with melted margarine.
2 - Make the pudding crust: Sieve the flour and the salt. Rub in the margarine. Add the sugar and sultanas. Mix in the water to make a soft dough.
3 - Turn out onto a floured board and form into a roll.
4 - Wrap loosely but securely in the grease proof paper or foil. Tie or seal the ends.
5 - Place in the steamer and cover tightly. Steam for 1.1/2 to 2 hours.
6 - Serve with hot custard sauce or sprinkle with castor sugar.
Variation: At stage 3: Put the mixture in a medium-sized (1.1/2 pint) pudding basin with a round of grease proof paper in the bottom and brush all round inside with melted margarine. Smooth the top. Cover with foil, or double grease proof paper brushed underneath with melted margarine and steam for 1.1/2 to 2 hours. Serve with hot Custard sauce or sprinkle with castor sugar.
[Recipe sourced from www.recipesource.com]
Those of you, who are familiar with Irish/English cuisine will be familiar with this dessert. Some more information:
The earliest recipes for spotted dick are from 1847. For non-British readers, "spotted dick" is a boiled suet pudding, with bits of dried fruit (usually raisins or currants) that (as already noted) look like little spots.
The Oxford Companion to Food comments that, strictly speaking, "spotted dick" is made by taking a flat sheet, spreading sugar and raisins on it, then rolling it up. A similar dessert is "spotted dog," a plain cylinder of suet paste with the raisins and currants and sugar stuck into it, so that the spots are visible on the outside. Both spotted dick and spotted dog were traditionally boiled (or even steamed) in a cloth, but nowadays they are usually baked.
The dessert is slightly different in Ireland. In Ireland in the late 1800s, the tradition of yeast-bread manufacture was not strong, so most breads were raised with bicarbonate of soda and an acid, rather than with yeast, and thus called soda breads. Thus, the spotted dick in Ireland is sweet soda bread, with sugar, currants, and raisins, and it's also called the spotted dog or railway cake.
[Info courtsey www.straightdope.com]
Have a great time errr...savouring some home cooked Spotted Dick. :D
