Water Pudding
Chosen from The New English Table by Rose Prince, she writes “This honestly is an amazing pudding. It has the qualities of a soufflé, but keeps its shape. It is the lightest lemon pudding too, being made with water rather than milk or cream. When cooked, it separates into two decks: below is a velvet-smooth, yellow curd, above a light puffy crust.”
Serves 6
150ml (¼ pint) warm (just above hand-hot) water
100g (3½ oz) caster sugar
Juice and grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon (this is an instance where unwaxed lemons makes a real difference to the flavour)
100g (3½ oz) very soft unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
4 eggs, separated
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Pour boiling water into a roasting tin so it is 2cm deep and place it in the oven. Butter 6 small ramekins.
Combine the water with the sugar, lemon juice and zest and butter, then whisk by hand. The butter should break down into small, floating globules. Lightly beat the egg yolks and stir them into the mixture.
Put the egg whites in a separate bowl and whisk until stiff. Fold them into the egg and lemon mixture, then pour into the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the roasting tin of hot water and bake for 1 hour. Serve immediately or lukewarm.
FoodLovers price £16 (RRP £25)
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RECIPE TIP
“It takes an hour to cook but must be put in the oven as soon as it is made. If serving it at dinner, I suggest making it – it is easy and quick – about half an hour before you sit down to the main course. It keeps for a while, being nicest when lukewarm.”