Serve these little clementine puddings from The Borough Market Cookbook as an alternative to figgy pudding and brandy butter, though really they’re too good to confine to just one day.
The appearance at the greengrocers of stacks of pale wooden boxes containing clementines is a sure sign that it’s winter and Christmas is coming (if the decorations around Borough Market haven’t already given it away)! This clementine sponge recipe is a delicious way to take full advantage of those citrus stacks.
The citrus sponge and syrupy, tart, cranberry studded sauce (served loose, not stiff like the condiment that goes with turkey) fit the comforting pud category throughout the colder months. Both the sponges and sauce can be cooked in advance of eating.
Ingredients:
Serves 8
For the sponges
- 60g light muscovado sugar
- 5 medium clementines
- 4 large eggs
- about 220g salted butter at room temperature (see method)
- about 220g golden caster sugar (see method)
- about 220g self-raising flour (see method)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
For the sauce
- 80g fresh cranberries
- juice of 4 medium clementines
- 60g light muscovado sugar
- 2 cloves
- double cream, to serve
Method:
- You will need 8 x 150ml dariole moulds or ramekins. Preheat the oven to 160C fan/180C/350F/gas mark 4 and grease the base and sides of your moulds with butter. Divide the light muscovado sugar between each greased mould, rolling the sugar around so that it covers and sticks to the base and sides, and leaves about 1 teaspoon of the sugar in each base. Finely grate the zest from the clementines and set aside. Peel the fruit and use a sharp knife to cut each into four 1–2cmthick rounds. Place the biggest eight slices in the base of the moulds on top of the sugar, and put the rest in a small saucepan (to be used in the sauce).
- Weigh the eggs, then measure the same quantity of butter, caster sugar and self-raising flour (about 220g of each) into separate bowls. Combine the sugar and butter and cream together until light and fluffy (by hand with a wooden spoon and plenty of elbow grease, or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Crack in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg fully before adding the next, then mix in the flour, baking powder and clementine zest. Divide the batter evenly among the moulds so they are three-quarters full. Place the moulds on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until risen and golden. A metal skewer inserted into the middle of one of the sponges should come out clean.
- Add the sauce ingredients to the clementine segments in the saucepan. Heat gently for 5–10 minutes, until half of the cranberries have popped, a few have split and the rest remain intact. Avoid bursting too many as the sauce will become mushy and thick.
- If you’ve made the sponges and sauce in advance, warm the sponges in a 120C fan/140C/275F/gas mark 1 oven for 10 minutes, and reheat the sauce gently for 3–5 minutes, again avoiding popping too many cranberries. Use a small palette knife to loosen the warm sponges from their moulds and invert them onto plates or bowls. Spoon the sauce over the top, and serve with double cream.
Text and photos taken from THE BOROUGH MARKET COOKBOOK
by Ed Smith, published by Hodder & Stoughton £25.
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