FIONA’S STICKY DATE PUDDING

FIONA’S STICKY DATE PUDDING
200 g pitted dried dates, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
60 g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a 6 cm-deep, 18 cm (base) round cake pan. Line base with baking paper.
Place dates and bicarbonate of soda in a heatproof bowl. Add boiling water. Stand for 20 minutes or until tender.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, stir in date mixture and flour. Stir to combine.
Spoon mixture into cake pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack.

1½ cups (375 ml) milk
7 egg yolks
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 1/4 pouring cream
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Place milk into a medium heavy-based saucepan. Heat until milk just starts to simmer.
Meanwhile beat egg yolks until pale and thickened. Once milk is hot, slowly whisk the milk into the eggs. Set aside.
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has softened and started to dissolve. Increase heat to a medium-high heat, brush down sides of saucepan to dissolve any sugar crystals and cook without stirring until the toffee starts to turn a rich golden colour. Remove from heat and carefully pour in cream. Note: Mixture may splatter at this stage.
Return mixture to a low heat and stir until any lumps have dissolved. Add egg mixture and salt and cook, stirring until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Pour mixture into a heatproof bowl, cover and refrigerate until well chilled.
Once chilled pour into ice cream bowl. Set ice cream maker to desired setting and churn.
Once mixture is frozen transfer to a freezer safe container and freezer for up to 1 week.

Recipe and photo: Fiona Thomas