What’s In A Name
Country of Origin – England
The Sticky Toffee Pudding has been stuff of legends. Not that it doesn’t exist. The proof is literally in the pudding!
Its origin, unlike mine, is slightly ambivalent. The story often told is that of a chef by the name of Francis Coulson, who served the first ever sticky toffee pudding at the Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in north-west England sometime in the 1970s. However, the recipe was actually given to him by a Patricia Martin of Claughton in Lancashire. History, am I right?!
If there’s one nation that truly understands the greatness of the pudding it is the United Kingdom. To the British, the pudding isn’t some petty dessert to be overlooked. No! It demands respect. It reminds us of an era nearing extinction – one in which we never feared fat, sugar, or gluten. Ah yes! The good times!
Seriously though, what is not to love about the toffee pudding?! It’s the perfect end to a meal during the bleak cold winters that the country is notoriously famous for. The decadence of the black treacle in the toffee sauce oozing across the smooth rich brown date pudding, is enough to make even the most diabetic of patients salivate in their mouth. Not to mention the addition of the single scoop of fresh cream/vanilla ice cream!
Our Connection
Where – Made in Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland
When – April, 2018
I reckon the weather plays a big part in what we would like to eat on a particular day. Perhaps as much or more so than our actual appetite.
Case in point: It was the start of my two week break for Easter and I found myself (with my dad) in the heart of the Northern Irish capital of Belfast. As is the norm with the English/Northern Irish weather, it was a dull, grey and overcast evening. The skies had threatened to unleash a downpour of rain the whole day but had yet to follow through.
It was the type of weather than enticed a warm, comfortable, homely meal. As we were there for only a few days, we hadn’t planned on doing any home cooking. Fortunately, there was a local, modern/contemporary establishment – Made in Belfast – a hop, skip, and jump away from our AirBnb.
As we made ourselves comfortable inside the restaurant, the skies burst with a thunderous applause of rain. Which made the meal all the more inviting. A Melt-in-your Mouth Braised Short-Rib, A Hearty Glazed Crispy Pork Belly, but nothing was as inviting or as perfect (given the weather) as the small plate of warm, gooey, and obviously sweet Sticky Toffee Pudding.
It was in that first bite when I fell in love with the dish. So much so that when I was sitting in my room, a few months later, feeling absolutely bored to death that I thought – “You know what I feel like having? Some Sticky Toffee Pudding! Let’s give it a go, shall we?”
Toffee Sauce
Description
Adding the 'Sticky' to the British classic, 'Sticky Toffee Pudding'
Ingredients
Instructions
Toffee Sauce
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Add the prescribed butter and light muscovado sugar to a large saucepan and bring it over a low-medium heat
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When the butter starts to melt along with the sugar, stir until the sugar completely incorporates1 into the melted butter and a light caramel starts to form
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Once a caramel like texture has been obtained, pour in the double cream. Continue stirring until the caramel starts to lighten further and the double cream is no longer visible
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Leave the caramel on a low-medium heat for another 5 minutes or until you reach a syrup-like texture. Once ready, take the saucepan off the heat
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To Serve (per serving): Drizzle/Glaze the warm Toffee Sauce over a Sticky Toffee Pudding or a Molten Lava cake or even a simple scoop of Salted Caramel/Vanilla ice-cream or just plain Whipped Cream!
Note
1. If you feel that the ratio of melted butter to muscovado sugar is on the higher end, add another tablespoon of sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar incorporates entirely into the melted butter.
2. The prices of the ingredients (table below) are only rough estimates and are subject to change!
3. As certain ingredients are common household items - salt, pepper, oil - you may not be required to purchase them, and so the cost of preparing this dish is lower.
