Puddings

By pudding I don’t just mean a rich and heavy steamed pudding, although in some weathers such a creation may be just what you feel like, I mean anything sweet or fruity served at the end of a meal. Puddings, like all baking, are not about survival, or even good nutrition – I think puddings are really about love. After all, if a person takes the trouble to make you a delicious pudding, you can be pretty sure they love you. My father often recalled a creamy rice pudding which his mother left to cook very slowly overnight in the coal range on the farm; it was his idea of heaven. And my theory is that people who have a horror of these sorts of simple puddings often associate them with boarding schools, where they were ruined by institutional cooks. I agree with my father – the perfect rice pudding is a treasure. As small children we enjoyed pudding most nights of the week – Lemon Delicious and Chocolate Fudge Pudding were particular favourites and junket less so, although I have learned to love it as an adult. Puddings may be a more occasional pleasure today, but the memory of our mother’s answer to our regular question ‘What’s for pudding?’ lives on. She always said with a smile: ‘Wait and see . . .’ And her puddings were invariably worth waiting for.

Strawberry Sorbet with Strawberry Syrup

From ‘Sweets and Desserts from the Middle East’ (1984) by Arto der Haroutunian, who describes this unusual yoghurt-based sorbet as an Armenian favourite. The egg white and gelatine give the sorbet an almost marshmallow texture which is complemented perfectly by a clear pink strawberry syrup. I leave the strawberry pieces in the syrup, but the Iranian tradition is to strain them out once the syrup is coloured and flavoured, then ...
Date Chocolate Torte

This brilliant cake is like a large version of the special meringues found in most community recipe books. Simply by folding chopped dates, nuts and chocolate through a basic meringue mix you can produce a spectacular party dessert. The dates make it chewy, the almonds give it crunch, the chocolate contributes dark richness to the mix – and since it must be made a day in advance of serving, all ...
Coconut Blancmange

In the 1999 Oxford Companion to Food Charles Perry defines Blancmange as ‘an Anglicization of the French blanc manger (white food), now means a sweet, jellied dessert made from milk and cornflour, to which flavour and colour are often added. The addition of colour to something whose name indicates that it is white is not and never has been perceived as a problem or a paradox in Britain.’ Nor in ...
Rhubarb Crumble

When I asked friends to tell me about their favourite puddings, apple or rhubarb crumble was always on the list. There are many possible crumble toppings – some include rolled oats or nuts or coconut with the sugar and spices; other plainer versions are more like crumbled pastry. Remember that too much flour can make the crumble stodgy and claggy in the mouth rather than a crisp contrast with the ...
Tamarillo Shortcake

Tender fruit enclosed between two layers of soft, sweet shortcake – this is another old fashioned favourite and always a welcome pudding. Leftovers can be served cold with a cup of tea the next day. You can vary the fruit and the spices in this recipe, just remember that firm fruit like apples or pears are best cooked and cooled before they go in the cake, whereas feijoas or tamarillos ...
Feijoa Mousse

Given to me by Janina Adamiak about 30 years ago, this recipe comes into its own at the end of summer when feijoas are falling everywhere. Pineapple juice seems an appropriate inclusion since feijoas are sometimes called pineapple guavas, but today you can make it with feijoa juice – bought or home made – if you prefer. The feijoa skins are included too and they give a pleasantly intense bite ...
Chocolate Fudge Pudding

Now this is definitely not a chocolate extravaganza. Made from simple ingredients it is a modest pudding which will bake away gently as you eat your main course and it is a New Zealand favourite. As a child I was always delighted by the way the sugar and cocoa sprinkled on the top combined with hot water to magically create a smooth chocolate sauce under the pudding, and we always ...
Golden Syrup Steamed Pudding

This was the most loved pudding of my childhood and my mother didn’t make it very often, so it was a special treat. Myra Lawrie’s very light recipe is made from equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Myra was proud of having worked out that you could mix the whole pudding in the basin, and then quickly tip the golden syrup down the side before you steam it. ...
Bitter Chocolate Roll

I found this recipe in a mad little book called ‘Cooking for Brides’ by Ted Moloney, published in 1965, and given to me recently by a friend in Balclutha, Joan Hasler. Mr Moloney’s instructions are highly abbreviated so I’ve expanded them a little but I agree with his introduction: ‘Remarkable that anything so delicious could be so easy.’ And there are only three ingredients – eggs, sugar and cocoa. (The ...
Ambrosia

Ambrosia is what the gods ate on Mount Olympus apparently, and they didn’t leave us their recipe. My father, however, always knew that the true ambrosia was slow-cooked rice pudding and he developed a great liking for the tinned variety when we lived in Scotland. It was called, naturally, ‘Ambrosia Creamed Rice’. I find it a bit mushy and old-tasting, so this is my version of freshly-made Ambrosia for the ...
Spanish Cream

This is a lovely simple pudding which appears in almost every early New Zealand recipe book. It is a silky custard set with gelatine and with beaten egg white folded through so that the custard separates into two layers – one fluffy, one smooth. You can flavour it with anything you like but my favourites are vanilla and Cointreau or finely grated lemon zest.
Pineapple Meringue Shortcake

Two layers of shortcake with meringue topping, are sandwiched together with poached pineapple and whipped cream – the bottom layer goes meringue-side down on the plate and the top layer, with the slivered almonds, meringue-side up. This dessert cake appeared in Plunket’s 1959 ‘Triple-Tested Recipe Book’ written by Thelma Christie and it’s also in my favourite baking book ‘Talking about Cakes with an Irish and Scottish Accent’, by Miss Margaret ...
Little Prune Soufflés

A friend gave me this recipe many years ago and I imagined it was his invention, but like most good recipes, it seems to have evolved, rather than being the creation of a single inspired cook. I’ve since found numerous versions of very light soufflés made by combining a hot fruit purée with some beaten egg whites. I like making these with prunes cooked in wine or orange juice, since ...