Maple Syrup Self Saucing Pudding

I am going to come clean about the things that I cannot do. The list is long and peculiar I do admit.

I cannot drive a car (unsupervised)

I cannot swim more than 22 metres

I cannot ride a bike

I cannot dance

I cannot sing

I cannot sew

The last five things don't bother me as much as the first one. And as for the last one, I wish I was better at doing those wonderful crafty things but I've never been able to sew. I sewed the worst outfits for my Barbies that my parents just bought the outfits for her out of pity. Perhaps they didn't want  daughter carrying a shabby looking Barbie.

One thing that I can moderately well is cook. But I realise that there are readers out there that have a low confidence level as far as cooking is concerned and that's perfectly fine. This recipe is for you my darlings. This self saucing pudding is similar to a sticky date pudding but possibly even better as it uses maple syrup so I think you are virtually assured of a fantastic flavour. It is also one of the easiest puddings ever to make. No sifting, no creaming, no beating, no specialist equipment. Just a bowl and a jug will do.

Originally created by female factory workers during the Great Depression (clearly they were not experiencing our current prices for maple syrup here in Australia ;) ), it is a French Canadian pudding from the Quebec region. In fact "chômeur" means unemployed. I used the recipe from Canadian Living which turned out a delicious pudding and an egg free one too. It is very sweet so be warned and I would serve it with a good vanilla ice cream or even better still, a thick sour cream or creme fraiche. When it is straight out of the oven the sauce is plentiful and perhaps appears too plentiful but it thickens and reabsorbs into the cake part upon cooling. I think that you would be perfectly within your rights to reduce the amount of sugar should you wish to.

So tell me Dear Reader, what is something that you cannot do and wished that you could?

Maple Syrup Pudding (Pudding Chômeur)

This recipe makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

• 4 tsp(18 mL) baking powder

• 1/4 tsp  (1 mL) nutmeg

• 3/4 cup (175 mL) milk

• 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted

• 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon rind, finely grated

• 1/2 cup (125 mL) raisins

Sauce:

• 1.5 cups (375ml) warm water

• 1 cup(250 mL) maple syrup

• 2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, melted

• 1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch

Preparation:

Step 1 - In bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg thoroughly.

Step 2 - In a jug, whisk together milk, butter and lemon rind; pour over dry ingredients. Sprinkle with raisins; stir just until combined. Spread in greased 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish.

Step 3 - For sauce: In bowl, whisk together water, maple syrup, butter and cornstarch; pour over batter. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until golden and firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.