Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (35 page)

Remove the cinnamon stick, then pour the purée into a blender and blend until smooth. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl, then leave on one side until
needed.

To make the Christmas pudding ice cream, put the cream and milk into a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks in a heatproof bowl
until fluffy and pale. Pour the boiling cream on to the egg mix, whisking. Pour the mix back into the pan and simmer, whisking, until the custard reaches 82°C on an instant-read thermometer.
Pass the hot custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in the glycerine, if you are using, and whisk together. It acts as an anti-freeze and helps the ice cream stay smooth and ice-crystal
free. Leave to one side to cool completely.

Place the Christmas pudding in another bowl. When the custard is cool, stir it into the Christmas pudding, then pour into an ice cream machine and follow the manufacturer’s
instructions. Place in a freezerproof container and freeze for up to 3 months.

To make the cake, place the unpeeled oranges and water to cover in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and leave the oranges to simmer
for 2 hours, or until very soft and tender. Drain the oranges and leave to one side.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 24cm loaf tin with butter and line the base with baking parchment.

When the oranges are cool enough to handle, cut each in half and remove the seeds. Place everything but the seeds – peel, pith, fruit and all – in a food processor
and process until finely chopped. Weigh out 450g of the chopped oranges and discard the remainder.

Return the 450g chopped orange to the food processor and add the ground almonds, sugar, eggs, baking powder, ground cinnamon and ground ginger and process again until well mixed.
Pour the batter into the tin. Place the tin in the oven and bake the cake for 1 hour, or until the cake is set and it comes away from the side of the tin. It is a moist cake, so you can’t
test it
with a skewer. You’ll probably have to cover the top of the cake with kitchen foil, shiny side down, after about 40 minutes to stop it from burning.

Remove the tin from the oven and leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. When the cake’s cool you can take it out of the tin and peel off the paper.
Wrap the cake in kitchen foil and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

When you’re ready to serve, take the ice cream out of the freezer about 10 minutes in advance to soften just a bit and reheat the plum sauce gently. Dust the cake with
icing sugar and slice, then serve with the plum sauce and Christmas pudding ice cream on the side and sliced peeled oranges for decoration.

Tom’s Tip

The plum sauce can be made 3 or 4 days in advance and kept in a covered container in the fridge. Reheat gently when ready to serve, letting it down with a little water, if
necessary.

Spiced orange cake with plum sauce and Christmas pudding ice cream

Is there anything more British than a great steamed pudding! If you don’t like ginger you can make this just with golden syrup, but however you flavour it, make sure you
still serve it with proper custard!

Makes 6

For the vanilla custard

Grease six 200ml dariole moulds or pudding basins with butter and line the bottom of each with a small piece of baking parchment cut to fit, then grease the paper. Cut out 6
pieces of kitchen foil, each large enough to be pleated in the middle and to fit over the top of each with an overhang. Bring a kettle of water to the boil.

Bring the ginger syrup, golden syrup, ginger wine and lemon juice to the boil, stirring to dissolve the syrups, then remove the pan from the heat.

Beat the sugar and butter together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and extra egg yolks. Sift over the flour and ground ginger and then beat into the mix.
Stir in the preserved ginger.

Divide three-quarters of the syrup between the dariole moulds, then add the batter, only filling each three-quarters full. Cover the tops with the circle of foil, pleated along
the centre to allow the puddings to rise, then securely tie in place. Place into 2 or 3 flameproof casseroles or deep saucepans on upturned saucers and pour in enough boiling water to come half way
up the side of the moulds. Cover the pans and simmer over low heat for 1½ hours, or until the puddings are well risen. Remove the puddings from the water and leave them to stand for a few
minutes before turning out and peeling off the paper. If they stick, run a round-bladed knife around the inside of the moulds.

Meanwhile, make the custard. Put the cream and vanilla seeds and pods into a saucepan over a high heat and bring just to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a
heatproof bowl until fluffy and pale. Pour the boiling cream on to the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the pan and simmer until it reaches 82°C on an instant-read
thermometer. Pass the hot custard through a fine sieve.

Pour the remaining syrup over the hot puddings and serve with the hot custard.

Tom’s Tip

This recipe is for individual puddings, but if you want to make a large one use a 1.5 litre pudding basin and steam for 2–3 hours. Be sure to check the water level
occasionally and top up with more boiling water, if necessary.

Steamed ginger puddings with vanilla custard

Makes about 1.2 litres

Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the beef trimmings and fry them, stirring occasionally, until browned and almost burnt – but definitely not
burnt! Add the chicken stock and star anise and bring to the boil. Add the thyme and garlic. Reduce the heat to very low and leave to simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours, or until the stock has reduced
by one-third. Season and pass the stock through a sieve lined with muslin. Leave to cool completely, then cover and chill for 12 hours so any fat will set and can be removed.

This beef base it now ready to use in any recipe that calls for beef stock, or it can be reduced down to use as a sauce. It will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or can be
frozen for up to 3 months.

This is my basic recipe for making perfect gravy. It is easier than it looks or sounds and once you’ve made it you’ll make it again and again. You can use duck, lamb
or venison bones as appropriate, so basically any ‘red’ meat.

Makes about 1.5 litres

A day before you are going to use the gravy, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and put the bones in a roasting tray. Put the tray in the oven and roast the bones for 30
minutes, or until dark brown, but not burnt.

Transfer the bones to a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the pig’s trotter, chicken sauce stock base, red wine and redcurrant jelly and bring to the boil, stirring to
dissolve the jelly. Use a large metal spoon to skim the surface, as necessary. Reduce the heat to very low and leave to simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours, or until the liquid has reduced by
one-third.

Turn the heat off, add the parsley – stalks and all – and leave to infuse, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl, then leave to
cool completely. Cover and place in the fridge for 12 hours so any fat will set and can be removed.

When you’re ready to use, remove and discard the fat. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then boil until it reduces down to sauce consistency. If you
want your gravy a little thicker, blend the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of the sauce, then pour it into the pan and continue simmering, whisking vigorously, until it has thickened. Season, then
pass the gravy though a sieve lined with muslin and it’s ready to serve.

Tom’s Tip

Any leftovers, before or after the gravy is thickened with cornflour, can be left to cool completely, then kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3
months.

Makes about 1 litre

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Put the lamb bones in a roasting tray and roast for about 40 minutes until dark golden brown. Transfer them to a saucepan over a very
low heat with the chicken sauce stock base and leave to simmer for 4–6 hours until the quantity reduces by half. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rosemary and leave to infuse, uncovered,
for 30 minutes.

Pass the stock through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Leave to cool completely, then cover and put in the fridge for 12 hours so any fat will set and can be removed.