hot marmalade pudding

ingredients:
• 150g fine brown breadcrumbs
• 25g self-raising wholemeal flour
• 120g soft dark brown sugar
• 120g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 8 tbsp strong, coarse-cut marmalade (homemade is the best)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 rounded tsp bicarbonate of soda

Drambuie custard
• 6 egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• 275ml fresh milk
• 275ml fresh double cream
• 2 tbsp Drambuie (or to taste)

method:
1 Grease a 1.7-litre pudding basin well. Place the breadcrumbs, flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter with the marmalade, in a pan over a gentle heat, then pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Whisk the eggs until frothy and beat gently into the mixture until combined. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 1 tablespoonful of cold water. Stir this into the pudding mixture, which will increase in volume as it absorbs the bicarbonate of soda.

2 Spoon the mixture into the prepared basin. Cover it with close-fitting lid, or make a lid with circles of buttered greaseproof paper and foil, pleated together across the centre and tied securely around the rim with string. Place the basin in a saucepan, then pour in boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin. Cover the pan with a close-fitting lid and simmer the pudding for 2 hours. The water will need topping-up as the pudding cooks.

3 For the custard, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar until pale and thick. Gently warm the milk with the cream until it begins to bubble. Pour the milk mixture onto the egg mixture and whisk together. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Bring to the boil very slowly, stirring all the time.
As soon as it begins to thicken, when it coats the back of the wooden spoon, remove from the heat and pour into a jug for serving. Stir in the Drambuie. Serve immediately. (Alternatively, cool the custard quickly in a bowl sitting on ice and refrigerate. The custard can be used cold for a trifle, served with frozen or chilled desserts, or reheated carefully for serving with a hot pudding.)

4 Test the pudding is done by inserting a skewer – if it comes out clean, it’s done. Turn the pudding on to a serving dish, slice and serve hot with a generous amount of Drambuie custard.