19 apr

Steamed Lemon Pudding

Mrs J McLennan, Temora Branch

SERVES 6–8

finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

75 g butter, softened

110 g (½ cup) caster sugar

Suet Pastry

360 g plain flour

180 g shredded suet (see note)

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

180 ml (¾ cup) iced water, or as required

For the pastry, combine the flour, suet and baking powder in a bowl and mix well. Add ½ teaspoon salt and mix in the iced water, adding a little extra water if necessary to make a firm dough. Add suet and mix well together. Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and baking powder and a little more iced water to make into a fairly stiff dough. Knead lightly to bring it together.

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for steaming, placing a small heatproof plate upside down in the water to keep the pudding basin off the base of the pan. Grease a 1 litre (4 cup) capacity pudding basin.

In a bowl, stir together the lemon zest and juice, butter and sugar to combine well.

Gently roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 40 cm circle. Place inside the basin, leaving excess pastry hanging over the edges.

Spoon the lemon mixture into the basin. Bring the edges of the pastry over the top of the filling to meet in the middle and press together to seal.

Cover the basin with a tight-fitting lid and lower it into the boiling water. Steam for 3 hours, or until cooked through, adding more water to the pan as required.

Note: shredded suet is available as a packet mix at supermarkets, or fresh from your butcher.