Cranberry Steamed Pudding

id="recipetitle"class="fn">Cranberry Steamed Pudding

This is a secret recipe that I am about to disclose. The first time I had this was at Christmas in Victoria at my Aunt and Uncle's. I just about died it was so good. Now it has become tradition that I host a Christmas Eve get together for my mom and brother, and this is the required dessert.


INGREDIENTS

Pudding
3 cups fresh, whole cranberries (1 bag)

Brother - "it's like eating a hug!"

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch


DIRECTIONS

1) Beat the egg. Add the dry ingredients, then the molasses. I use cooking molasses which gives this a very strong flavor. Make sure to use fancy molasses if you want it more subtle. *Tip: spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray before measuring your molasses in it. This really minimizes the sticky mess.*

2) Now add the boiling water and vanilla extract. Stir in the cranberries. If you think to yourself "this looks terrible, I must have screwed something up!" Chill, it means your nailing it. Compare yours to this picture to decrease your stress level.



Check out my pathetic spatula!

3) Spray the inside of a large can (I think the one I have is an old coffee can) with one end removed. Pour mixture in can and cover with foil.

4) Place the can in a large pot and fill it with water until it's halfway up the can. Cover the pot and steam for about an hour. What does "steam" mean? I have no idea, I just wing it. I basically keep the water at a really gentle boil. Check it often when you've almost reached the hour mark and stick a toothpick in it to test the doneness.

5) Now what I like to do is prep the sauce meaning combine all the ingredients in a pot and leave it on the stove for when it's time to get the dessert ready. This foresight is critical because when it's time to serve, I've already had one bottle of wine, and at least one rum and eggnog. There is no measuring going on in that state. Just turn the stove on and stir. Fight that urge to start dancing to "Holly Jolly Christmas", and watch the damn sauce. You will know when it's thick enough because it coats the back of the spoon.



Disclaimer: this picture is several years old but a gem none the less. 

To serve, remove from the can (seen above), cut the pudding in approximately one centimeter wide slices and place in a bowl. Drench with low calorie sauce from Jesus.