STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE AND VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Soak the dates in hot water for 1 hour.
• Beat together the brown sugar and butter.
• Slowly, add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• Strain the dates and place in a food processor- process until chunky.
• Add the water back to the dates.
• Fold this into the butter mixture alternately with the flour.
• Pipe into moulds and steam for 15 minutes for small, individual moulds or 30-35 minutes for larger moulds.
• If you don't have a steamer, place moulds in a water bath and cover with foil before placing in the oven.
• Bake at 180C for approximately 20-30 minutes or until done.
• Serve warm with toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream (Haagen Daaz is a good brand if you are not making your own).
• Preparation of toffee sauce: Dissolve sugar and water in a saucepan (use a pan that has high sides- when the cream is added, it will bubble up!).
• Use a clean pastry brush dipped in water to remove any sugar crystal that remained on the sides of the pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Allow to cook (without stirring) until a golden colour is obtained.
• Slowly add the cream- be careful of the splashes of caramel and the hot cream.
• Allow to return to the boil for 30 seconds, remove from heat and stir in the butter.
• Refrigerate until needed or allow to cool slightly and serve with the Sticky Toffee Pudding.
• Preparation of vanilla bean ice-cream: Bring milk and cream to just below boiling point.
• Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar.
• Add some hot milk, mix and pour back onto the remaining hot milk.
• Stir continuously, cooking until mix is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
• Sieve immediately and cool down.
• Stir constantly, over a bowl of ice water.
• When cool, refrigerate until completely cold.
• Pour into ice-cream maker and follow the manufacturer's directions, freeze until set.
• Remove from ice-cream maker and store in the freezer until required.
• Can be stored for 1 week.