The Wellington Blackout Pudding
By Chef Gordon Ramswine
What it is:
A dark, dramatic, slightly ridiculous mid-winter dessert: warm black cocoa pudding, salted feijoa-caramel centre, toasted walnut rubble, whisky-orange cream, and a “power cut” black sugar shard stuck in the top. It looks like Wellington after 6pm in July, but tastes considerably better.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS (Serves: 6)
For the puddings
• 150 g butter, softened
• 150 g brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120 g self-raising flour
• 30 g black cocoa or dark Dutch cocoa
• 40 g ground almonds
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 80 ml milk
• 80 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
For the salted feijoa caramel centre
• 1 cup feijoa pulp
• 120 g caster sugar
• 40 g butter
• 80 ml cream
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp lemon juice
For the walnut rubble
• ¾ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp butter
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of ½ orange
For the whisky-orange cream
• 250 ml cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• Zest of ½ orange
• 1–2 tbsp whisky, rum or brandy
For the black sugar shards
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• A tiny pinch of black gel colouring or activated charcoal powder
Method
1. Make the salted feijoa caramel
Place the feijoa pulp in a small saucepan and simmer for 5–8 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened.
In another saucepan, melt the sugar over medium heat until it becomes a deep amber caramel. Do not stir too much; swirl the pan instead.
Carefully add the butter, then the cream. It will bubble fiercely. Stir until smooth.
Add the reduced feijoa pulp, salt and lemon juice. Simmer for another 2–3 minutes.
Cool until thick. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Make the black sugar shards
Line a tray with baking paper.
Place sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves, then boil until it becomes a hard amber syrup.
Stir in the black colouring or charcoal.
Pour thinly onto the baking paper and allow to set. Once cold, break into jagged shards.
These are purely theatrical. Like most council consultations, but edible.
3. Make the walnut rubble
Melt the butter in a small pan.
Add walnuts, brown sugar, salt and orange zest. Stir over medium heat until the walnuts are glossy and lightly caramelised.
Tip onto baking paper and cool. Break up roughly.
4. Make the whisky-orange cream
Whip the cream with icing sugar until soft peaks form.
Fold through the orange zest and whisky.
Keep chilled.
5. Make the puddings
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Grease six small pudding moulds or ramekins.
Beat butter and brown sugar together until pale and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa, ground almonds, baking powder and salt.
Fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk.
Fold through the chopped dark chocolate.
Spoon a little pudding mixture into each mould. Add a generous teaspoon of chilled feijoa caramel in the centre. Cover with more pudding mixture, filling each mould about three-quarters full.
Place the moulds in a roasting dish. Pour hot water into the dish until it comes halfway up the sides of the moulds.
Cover loosely with foil.
Bake for 22–28 minutes, until the puddings are just set but still soft in the centre.
Rest for 5 minutes before turning out.
Menu Description & Serving Notes.
RANSWINE’S NOTES
Serve
Place each warm pudding in a shallow bowl.
Spoon extra hot feijoa caramel around the base.
Add a dollop of whisky-orange cream.
Scatter over walnut rubble.
Stick one black sugar shard into the top like a dramatic mid-winter power cut.
Serve immediately.
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MEGA description
Best eaten during rain, power-price announcements, infrastructure failures, or any council meeting involving the word “resilience”.
Dark outside. Molten inside. Like Wellington, but edible.