Spotted Dick

A classic British pudding which it's still possible to bring a twist to and make your own. I remember well how my mother would steam puddings for far longer than suggested and the result was, in my opinion, much better. The pudding would take on a degree of caramelisation, and develop a greater depth of flavour. I steam my puddings for 2 hours rather than 1, but you can decide for yourself whether or not to do this. In this pudding I use Lexia raisins, I love how plump and full of flavour they are; it's always possible to substitute other dried fruit, golden sultanas would be good or dried sour cherries.

For this pudding, enough for 4, you will need;
150g of Lexia raisins soaked in 100ml of amaretto liqueur
150g of Self Raising flour
100g of chilled butter
80g of caster sugar
2 eggs
milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Begin by soaking the raisins in the liqueur overnight. If you don't have the time, you can always pop the raisins and liqueur into the microwave for 1 minute before leaving to cool completely.
Grease a 1 litre pudding basin with a little butter and place a disc of baking parchment in the bottom to make releasing the steamed pudding easier.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt; rub in the chilled butter to form a breadcrumb consistency. Place the eggs into a measuring jug along with any liqueur leftover after draining the raisins. Bring the volume up to 200ml with milk and beat together with a fork to break up the eggs. Add the raisins to the flour mix and finally pour in the egg and milk mixture. Mix to a soft dropping consistency and pour it into the prepared pudding basin. Cover with a disc of baking parchment and a piece of kitchen foil. Turn over the edges to seal and place the basin in a steamer to steam for 1 to 2 hours (see above).

Notes:
I like to serve this pudding with home made custard, but softly whipped double cream works well too, as the cream melts onto the hot pudding, it forms a light and delicious foam, something you would be charged extra for in a restaurant.
I am beginning to find photographs of puddings are of a lower quality, I think it must be because by the time pudding is served, I have enjoyed a couple of martinis and nearly half a bottle of wine, at that stage I am less likely to adjust the focus setting as much as I should - apologies.