Orange Sauce Individual Spotted Dick Pudding - Inspired by Gary Mehigan of Masterchef Australia

I must admit that I'm a fan of Aust Masterchef... I think I'd watch the Masterchef UK, US or NZ version if they are all available to free to air TV.

I am addicted to whatever cooking show on Tele.  I like all the chef's recipes on MCA, so Friday night's Master Class, is my time to enjoy TV with a cuppa.  I bookmark all the recipes, not all the time I will use the recipes straight away, but this week, hubby says, I want Gary's Pudding - The Spotted Dick with Custard...  It's such a classic English pudding and hubby would like to have it again.  After a few giggles from the children, and checking of some core ingredients, I said to hubby, alright, I will do it if my footie team win.

The AFL match was on Saturday, his team Bombers, against mine, Kangaroos.  So I said to the rest of the family who are basically all Bombers supports (less the step daughter), that I would cook dinner if my team win, and daddy would cook dinner if daddy's team win - the logic behind this was, if our footie team wins, it will brighten us up, and we will have energy to cook.  Anyway, it was my excuse to get out of cooking because before the weekend, Bombers were a much stronger team.

But, start of the game, Kangaroos were ahead in the first quarter - 2:10pm. 

Better start to prepare the roast dinner and the pudding that hubby requested.  By the time the game got into the third quarter, I told hubby that he's got pudding tonight.

I didn't use all of Gary's recipe, and I made individual puddings instead.

Individual Spotted Dick Pudding
Serves 6

coarse zest of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
Juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
12 tbsp sugar
100g SR flour
60g white bread crumbs (I always have some in my freezer)
2 eggs
100ml milk
1 tsp Cointeau (something that I use a lot if I'm using orange)
80ml Canola oil (I haven't got suet and I thought this is a healthier alternative)
Sultanas and other mixed fruit

Method:
1. Make orange caramel sauce, use half of the juice and all of the zest, and 8 tbsp of sugar in a small saucepan, the way how normal caramels are made, the only liquid used is the juice, so no extra liquid is needed.  Once the caramel turns a blonde, stop the cooking process by putting the bottom of the pan into cold water, and share the caramel into 6 greased ramekins. Add dried fruits, as I'm making smaller individual puddings, I only added sultanas at the bottom.

2. Whisk eggs and the rest of 4 tbsp of sugar to a silky consistancy, and slowly whisk canola oil, you should be able to get a very smooth mix, and add slowly room temperature milk. 

3. Sift in flour, mix well till smooth, fold in the bread crumbs and and rest of the juice and cointeau.  Fold in the mixed dry fruits and share between the ramekins.

4. Place all the moulds in the baking dish, fill up the water in the baking dish till 1/2 - 2/3 of the ramekins and cover the whole dish with foil.

5. I set the oven for 125C - 257F for my roast, so that's the same oven I used for this batch of puddings, and I have put them on the top rack of the oven for maximum heat, for an hour.

6. The puddings are to be served warm. I kept the whole thing in the oven after the cooking of the roast if finished, so we could get warm pudding after dinner.  Slice the knife around the pudding to release the pudding, and slice out onto the plate, drizzle on some golden syrup or our family's new favourite, maple syrup, and serve with custard, or just double cream.

Happy hubby even after a not so happy footie game.