Gingerbread Pudding and Carmel Sauce

[forever_young_ca]

I have had this at the HSG when in Vancouver and loved it. There has been much discussion on this board surrounding this (now) famous pudding.

The recipe has been posted here http://www.diningoutguide.com/ShowRecipe.aspx?ID=1

I want to make it this weekend and have a couple of questions:

- the recipe calls for 1 cup molasses. I know there are a variety of types of molasses and strengths and I have no idea what to buy. Help?

- Can the cake be made ahead, cooled completely and then made into the pudding? The receipe says to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes and then make into pudding.

The only prolem is.............I won't have some of the fabulous ice cream available at the HSG to top it off!

[mtigges]

The only prolem is.............I won't have some of the fabulous ice cream available at the HSG to top it off! 

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Haagen Daaz Dulce de Leche. That's all I would adorn it with. Neil might call sacrilege, but I think it would taste great. My guess on the molasses would be fancy, but I suspect that Ling will chime in with a more educated guess.

[nwyles]

when I get to the restaurant, I will check what is on the shelf and post.

I have a couple of suggestions for ice cream as well.

cheers

the true expert on gingerbread pudding !

[sanrensho]

-  Can the cake be made ahead, cooled completely and then made into the pudding?  The receipe says to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes and then make into pudding.

From a baking standpoint, I don't see why there would be a problem making the cake ahead of time.

[eje]

-  the recipe calls for 1 cup molasses.  I know there are a variety of types of molasses and strengths and I have no idea what to buy.  Help?

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Unless the recipe specifically sez "blackstrap" avoid that. Also, try to buy an "unsulphured" Molasses (most are).

After that it is probably personal taste. If you like the taste of molasses, go for a dark one. If you are not sure, stick with a lighter one.

[3WholeCardamoms]

when I get to the restaurant, I will check what is on the shelf and post....

the true expert on gingerbread pudding !

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but can't remember what kind of molasses. (winkwink tongue out gasping emoticon).

sorry neil, i had to.

[Abra]

I'm thrilled to see this thread. We had Neil's famously fabulous pudding on our recent trip to Vancouver, and I'm longing for more.

I think I'd make ginger ice cream to serve with, or else just a soft cloud of very lightly sweetened cream. The pudding would also be nice made with sorghum, as an alternative to molasses.

[nwyles]

We do use Blackstrap molasses.

If you send me an email @ hamiltonstreetgrill@telus.net , I will send the recipe version that we use in the kitchen here. It is industrial size, but if you have lots of friends, it will work.

We bake the cakes off a couple days in advance, and then turn them into puddings later. The cake will last quite some time wrapped up.

I would avoid the sweet ice creams if you are going to do this. They are too sweet.

The savoury aspect of the ginger and the pumpkin really balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce. It becomes too sweet even with straight vanilla ice cream.

P.S. Everybody who has ever made this recipe has screwed it up once. Follow the directions carefully. They look easy and people get too comfortable and make mistakes like "baking powder vs. baking soda" . When it says sift, sift !

[ScorchedPalate]

I would avoid the sweet ice creams if you are going to do this. They are too sweet.

The savoury aspect of the ginger and the pumpkin really balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce.

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Any chance we could get the ice cream recipe?

Edited to add:

Hmm, the version of the recipe posted upthread says nothing about sifting...

Edited February 2, 2006 by ScorchedPalate (log)

[Ling]

Hi...I use fancy molasses for the ginger cake recipes I've been testing, but blackstrap would work if you prefer a stronger molasses flavour. It won't be overpowering if you use blackstrap, obviously, b/c that's what Neil is using at the restaurant.

Try some grated fresh ginger (perhaps 2 tbsp, without lessening the amount of ground ginger) in the batter, and a blend of spices...I like cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg, and cardamom in the ginger cake. I also like buttermilk instead of milk, as it tenderizes the crumb.

There's nothing lost if you make the cakes beforehand, or even if you cube up frozen ginger cake and throw them in the custard...just bake the cake until you get the gooey consistency you like.

I use only egg yolks and heavy cream in the custard base, but it's up to you. Any combination of milk/half-and-half/cream would would work, as would whole eggs + a few egg yolks to enrichen the base.

If you're planning to serve them with the Dulce de Leche ice-cream (which is, btw, my favourite Haagen Daaz flavour ) I would definitely cut the amount of brown sugar in the caramel sauce by half. Actually, my "quick" caramel sauce is 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 cup whipping cream anyway, and it's sweet enough for me. The addition of perhaps 1/4 cup creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon juice with also brighten your caramel and provide enough acidity to compound the straight-on sweetness...just whisk it in quickly when your caramel is finished. (That's a trick from Sherry Yard...Wolfgang Puck's pastry chef.)

Edited February 2, 2006 by Ling (log)

[nwyles]

I would avoid the sweet ice creams if you are going to do this. They are too sweet.

The savoury aspect of the ginger and the pumpkin really balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce.

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Any chance we could get the ice cream recipe?

Edited to add:

Hmm, the version of the recipe posted upthread says nothing about sifting...

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Send an email for the real recipe.

The one posted upthread is one that someone editted for home use.

Neil

[Mooshmouse]

If making ice cream isn't your thing, I believe that Amato Gelato (Mario's) on East 1st Avenue has both ginger and pumpkin flavours available.

[fud]

Thanks guys,

I now have my dessert for my Valentine's Dinner! Maybe I ought to try this a couple (hundred) times to make sure I "get it" before the big day!

Sifting? hmmm...i dont even own a sifter but I guess a grate of sorts will do.

[snacky_cat]

I picked up a pile of GBP from Neil for Mamacat's birthday dinner a few months ago, and Neil gave me all the instructions on how to take it from cold to hot on the plate in no time flat. If you want to make it at home, you could easily prepare everything well in advance and simply assemble it all in 2min just before serving.

This is what I did, and it worked like a charm:

1. Get a bowl that will hold all the pudding-ized cake. Pour some caramel sauce in the bottom of the bowl.

2. Take the pudding-ized cake and pack it into the bowl.

3. Nuke. I was doing two large-ish bowls straight from the fridge, so I did around 90sec or so.

4. Invert hot pudding onto a plate for serving or just spoon directly into dishes. GENEROUSLY coat with caramel sauce.

5. Commence shovelling the cake into your mouth. Do not stop until every crumb and every drop of sauce is gone.

[nwyles]

Now that I have given ten of you the recipe, I do not want to see this used for anything than personal consumption.

If I see something like

"Transfattyacid's House of Gingerbread Pudding " or "snacky cat"s pudding hut",

opening up anywhere within a 1000 miles of Yaletown, there will be trouble.

Other than that, enjoy to your hearts content.

Once you have made it, you will soon realize that it is easier and cheaper to come down here and have one and you do not have to do the dishes ( unless you really want to )

[sanrensho]

Now that I have given ten of you the recipe...

Thanks for the recipe, Neil. Just wait 'til all those eGulleters return home from work. You can expect another flood of recipe requests tonight.

[eugene]

Now that I have given ten of you the recipe, I do not want to see this used for anything than personal consumption.

If I see something like

"Transfattyacid's House of Gingerbread Pudding " or "snacky cat"s pudding hut",

opening up anywhere within a 1000 miles of Yaletown, there will be trouble.

Other than that, enjoy to your hearts content.

Once you have made it, you will soon realize that it is easier and cheaper to come down here and have one and you do not have to do the dishes ( unless you really want to )

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But Richmond is fine, right?

[ScorchedPalate]

Now that I have given ten of you the recipe, I do not want to see this used for anything than personal consumption. If I see something like "Transfattyacid's House of Gingerbread Pudding " or "snacky cat"s pudding hut", opening up anywhere within a 1000 miles of Yaletown, there will be trouble.

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Damn, San Francisco is only 946 miles south of Vancouver.

I guess I will have to open Palate's Pudding Palace in San Jose.

Once you have made it, you will soon realize that it is easier and cheaper to come down here and have one

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I can buy a LOT of butter and flour for the price of a round-trip SFO-YVR ticket.

But I agree: I have the recipes for two of my favorite seattle foods -- Tom Douglas's Coconut Cream Pie, and the lasagne at Cafe Lago -- and just reading the recipe convinced me that they were worth every penny I paid for them in the restaurant.

~A

[Ling]

Sifting?  hmmm...i dont even own a sifter but I guess a grate of sorts will do.

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A grater?

Uh...you can use a fine-mesh sieve.

[forever_young_ca]

The dinner party that I am making the gingerbread pudding for is after work next Friday. Because of time constraints I decided to make the cake ahead, freeze it and then make the pudding when I get home from work.

When the cake came out of the oven we had to have a taste test to make sure that it was OK. It was warm,lovely and comforting on a cold rainy day. The cake is now 1/3 gone and I am contemplating having to make another...........

The molasses I used was what I had in the house. The carton said "cooking molasses", but I have no idea what that means. In any event the cake is great.

Now I have to figure out how to scale down the pumpkin ice cream recipe from the giant sized commercial proportions!

PS - I used buttermilk instead of milk mainly because I had some in the fridge that needed using up. Since there was baking soda in the cake I thought it would be a good combo.

Edited February 5, 2006 by forever_young_ca (log)

[fud]

Sifting?  hmmm...i dont even own a sifter but I guess a grate of sorts will do.

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A grater?

Uh...you can use a fine-mesh sieve.

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Did I say grater? I meant sieve in my mind - although I went home and found that the one I have is pretty coarse. Might need to pay gourmet warehouse a visit

[Ling]

When the cake came out of the oven we had to have a taste test to make sure that it was OK.  It was warm,lovely and comforting on a cold rainy day.  The cake is now 1/3 gone and I am contemplating having to make another...........

The molasses I used was what I had in the house.  The carton said "cooking molasses", but I have no idea what that means. In any event the cake is great.

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"Cooking molasses" is in between "Fancy" (mild flavour) and "Blackstrap" (robust flavour). I have all three types in my pantry for different recipes.

I forgot to mention this earlier, but some freshly ground black pepper is great in a ginger cake for that extra bit of kick.

[Ling]

Did I say grater? I meant sieve in my mind - although I went home and found that the one I have is pretty coarse.  Might need to pay gourmet warehouse a visit 

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Sorry...I misunderstood.

[oanababy]

Made this for a dinner party last Friday - it was gone in under 5 minutes! I would make the caramel sauce thicker next time (less cream?) and maybe shape it into smaller batches for the second time in the oven. Dulce de Leche ice cream is definitely the way to go. Thanks HSG!

[Marlene]

I would avoid the sweet ice creams if you are going to do this. They are too sweet.

The savoury aspect of the ginger and the pumpkin really balance the sweetness of the caramel sauce.

←

Any chance we could get the ice cream recipe?

Edited to add:

Hmm, the version of the recipe posted upthread says nothing about sifting...

←

Send an email for the real recipe.

The one posted upthread is one that someone editted for home use.

Neil

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yes, but the recipe you sent me doesn't mention sifting either!