The earliest Spotted Dick recipes are from the 1850′s, although similar puddings, with the same ingredients and cooking methods, predate this period. It has always been a favourite for many people, and has now become one of the backbones of classic British puddings. The name of this pudding will usually raise a smile, which is why some prefer the less-well-known title of “Spotted Dog Pudding”. The spotted part refers to the currants in the dough, and the word ‘dick’ is, according to some, a colloquial word for pudding, there are also other various explanations …
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest documented reference to the actual name of this pudding is a recipe for ‘Plum Bolster or Spotted Dick’, in Alexis Soyer’s ‘The Modern Housewife, or, Ménagère’ (published in 1850). Regardless of its heritage, this is the perfect pudding for a treat on a cold winter’s day with a home-made vanilla custard (for the custard recipe see below). You might also want to cook Jam Roly-Poly Pudding to go with this recipe, it uses similar cooking methods. Both of these type of steamed puddings are the ultimate in comfort food.
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Alex Soyer’s Spotted Dick Recipe 1850
764. Plum Bolster, Or Spotted Dick
Roll out two pounds of paste (No. 685), having some Smyrna raisins well washed, and place them on it here and there, roll over, tie in a cloth, and boil one hour, and serve with butter and brown sugar.
685. Puff Paste, With Beef Suet
Where you cannot obtain good butter for making paste, the following is an excellent substitute; skin and chop one pound of kidney beef suet very fine, put it into a mortar and pound it well, moistening with a little oil, until becoming as it were one piece, and about the consistency of butter, proceed exactly as in the last, using it instead of butter.
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Spotted Dick Pudding Recipe
Recipe Ingredients:
- 240g self raising flour
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 20g caster sugar
- 20g of soft dark brown sugar
- 140g shredded suet
- 50g unsalted butter, melted
- 120g raisins & 120g of currants (soaked for an hour in 20ml of water)
- 150ml cold milk
Recipe Method:
Grease a 2 pint (1.1litre) pudding basin.
In another large mixing bowl sieve together the flour and fine sea salt. Then add the shredded suet, both types of sugar, melted butter and the raisins & currants. Using a flat bladed knife mix these ingredients with the cold milk (you might not need all of it, add a little at a time) to make a firm, smooth and elastic dough. Make sure everything is mixed properly together by using your hands to finish off mixing.
Pack the mixture into the greased pudding basin, cover it with a double sheet of silicone paper (baking parchment) and a sheet of foil, and tie it securely with string (you might need to borrow someone’s finger for this). It’s also a good idea to tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle to lift the pudding in and out of the steamer.
Stand the pudding basin in a steamer or in a deep saucepan on an upturned heatproof plate to raise it off the bottom. Pour in boiling water to come half way up the side of the pudding basin or fill under the steamer in the water compartment.
Cover securely and steam for 3 hours. Keep checking, do not let run dry.
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- Spotted Dick Pudding In A Steam Bath
Sausage Shaped Pudding: To make spotted dick pudding in the traditional shape, a long sausage shape, form the mixture into a thick cylinder of about 20cm long. Place the pudding on two large rectangle sheets of baking parchment – then wrap tightly in this double piece of baking parchment, twist the ends of the paper parcel to secure, wrap it in a piece of muslin cloth, or thin clean tea-towel, and use string to secure the ends. Sit the package on a rack (so that it is 10cm or so off the bottom) inside a steam bath, steamer or a large roasting tin, and fill the with boiling water, making sure that the water does not come up to the package. Put the lid on the steam bath, steamer or cover the roasting tin with a foil cover and steam, leaving it to simmer on a cooker ring for two and a half hours (make sure the steamer never runs dry of water). To test the pudding push a metal skewer into the pudding and see that it comes out clean and hot.
Turn the pudding out on to a hot dish and serve with custard.
Vanilla Custard
Proper English Custard is a mix of sugar, egg yolks, cream and milk, flavoured with vanilla.
Makes just over 500ml
- 250ml of whole milk
- 250ml of double cream
- 1 vanilla pod (or use quality vanilla essence)
- 6 fresh egg yolks (the yolks only are needed)
- 50g of caster sugar
Put a heavy based saucepan on a medium heat, add the milk, cream, and vanilla pod. Stir and slowly bring up to the boil. When near the boil, take off the heat. Meanwhile beat and whip the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl, until the yolk is almost white. Then add in the hot milk and cream little by little to the egg yolks and sugar, making sure you whisk continuously as you do so. Transfer all the ingredients back to the saucepan, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds out into the custard, and return the custard to a medium heat for a few minutes – stir continuously with a spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of it, and then it must be withdrawn from the heat. If the custard sauce reaches too high a temperature, it will curdle – but note: the higher the temperature, the thicker the resulting custard, and as it cools it will thicken some more. Finally strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl or serving jug, and as it cools stir occasionally to stop a skin from forming.
