sunday roasting fun

Sunday was a challenge, roast beef and date and pistachio pudding to follow for x30 all at once to be served in x2 rooms cooked from x1 small kitchen with a domestic oven and induction hobs, truth be told I thrive on a challenge but I was genuinely concerned about this punt, there were friends and loved ones, also a few hard-core rambling pea supporters plus a one guest who im catering her wedding this summer. The beef was from the farm where I cooked, Treberfedd, and it was good aged for 5 weeks so was really deep ruby red and just darkening on the edges, the fat was a lovely yellow probably finished on lots of grain inside, and the lamb very good, thank god. So exhausted after another 70 hour week I drag myself into the van with nats yorkie pudding trays under my arm as, a wake up in the middle of the night worrying about details moments had happened earlier that night HOW CAN I MAKE YORKIES WITH NO TRAYS, the 6 mile drive to the farm was spent on thinking in which order to put things in oven, Easy cook the beef, whilst blanching the toasties, beef out, date and pistachio in, then roasties then yorkies x30 then the lamb with the parsnips and carrots. Whilst on top butterscotch sauce leeks cabbage broccoli finish gravies.JESUS CHRIST , I did it here is my recipe for date and pistachio pudding 

Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Place  the dates in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with 200ml/7fl oz of boiling water. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes to soften, then drain. Whiz the dates in a food processor until you have a purée. Meanwhile, cream your butter and sugar until pale using a wooden spoon, and add the eggs, flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and Ovaltine. Mix together well, then fold in the yoghurt and your puréed dates and pistachio nuts. Pour into a buttered, ovenproof dish and cook in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce by putting the butter, sugar and cream in a pan over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened and darkened in colour.

       225g fresh dates, stoned

·                             100g peeled pistachio nuts

       1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

       85g unsalted softened butter

       170g caster sugar

       2 large free-range eggs

       170g self-raising flour

       ¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice

       ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

       2 tablespoons Ovaltine

       2 tablespoons crème fraiche

         for the toffee sauce

 115g unsalted butter

 115g light muscovado sugar

 140ml double cream

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