Sticky Fig Pudding (cake) with Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

Sticky fig pudding with dulce de leche sauce

This is a twist to the classic sticky date pudding or sticky toffee pudding. Figs are
a great substitute to dates since they both similar in terms of consistency and amount of sweetness. Fig seeds add a nice crunch to the pudding. 

The pudding is traditionally served with butterscotch sauce. I had the pudding with dulce de leche sauce instead of butterscotch sauce and it was really delicious.

The pudding can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator, however it will most likely not last that long! Uncooked dough can be kept in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 250g dried figs, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 125g butter, softened
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/3  cup milk

For butterscotch sauce

• 300ml pure cream
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup golden syrup
• 20g butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
• Place figs and boiling water in a bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes to soften.
• Beat butter, sugar, golden syrup and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
• Add fig mixture, flour and milk. Beat to combine. 
• Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Butterscotch sauce

• Heat cream, sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over medium heat
• Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar has dissolved
• Bring to the boil
• Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce thickens.

Recipe adopted from taste.com.au

Lentil Tomato Spread

Lentil tomato spread

This lentil tomato spread is a simple and versatile dish. The spread is actually a thickened version of the soup.

The recipe is for a plain version which is quite tomatoey! You can reduce the amount of tomato paste if you prefer the soup to be more lentilly! I also prefer plain spread but you can ‘dress up’ by adding ham, sundried tomatoes, yogurt and so on.

The spread can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and perhaps frozen for much longer. I have never frozen these.

I like my spread to be a bit chunky, where you can actually see lentils. You can blend/blitz the mixture if you prefer a smoother consistency.

The recipe calls for addition of butter or olive oil. I prefer to stir in the butter or olive oil at the end so the flavour of the fat is more profound.

BTW, a quick search on the trusted Wikipedia revealed that lentil soup is mentioned in the Bible: In Genesis 25:34, Esau is prepared to give up his birthright for a pot of fragrant red lentil soup (a "mess of pottage") being cooked by his brother, Jacob.

Ingredients

• ½ cup lentils
• ¼ cup tomato puree
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon spices such as harissa, mixed spice
• Water (1 cup or more)
• 25 grams butter or olive oil

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients to a pot, except for butter/olive oil
• Cook on medium low heat for about 1½ to 2 hours
• Stir occasionally and add more water if the mixture starts to dry up
• When done stir in the butter/olive oil and spread

3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Light, airy, crunchy and slightly crumbly, only 3-ingredients and no butter...

3-Ingredient Oatmeal Cookie, with chocolate

Yes this recipe just uses 3 ingredients, and cake mix is not one of them! And neither is butter, so it’s a butterless cookie. 

The recipe was developed out of necessity. I haven’t been shopping for a while and there is no flour, no raisins, no butter and very little coconut and butter/margarine in my pantry. I really felt like having oat cookies and with limited ingredients I had to become creative.

What I did have in the pantry was eggs, sugar and oatmeal: a liquid + a sweetener + carbs = 3-ingredient oatmeal cookies. And it worked. If you have a better stocked pantry, you can add dried fruits and nuts, or even fresh bananas. Or even add chocolate chips. However it would no longer be a 3-ingredient oatmeal cookie. Its your choice - maintaining the integrity of the 3-ingredient cookie or having perhaps a nicer tasting cookie:)

The cookies turned out light, airy, crunchy and slightly crumbly, and not eggy unless you use really old eggs I suppose.

What I often do is freeze the dough, and I did the same today. In the evening I could not resist the thought of munching on some of these cookies so I baked some cookies from frozen dough, without defrosting. It worked fine, just as good as fresh dough. I sliced the frozen dough about half cm thick and baked frozen. Why wait and defrost when you can slice and bake:)

Ingredients

300ml rolled oats

100ml sugar

1 small egg

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 175 degrees and toast oats until brown, about 15-20 minutes

2.  Crush the oats coarsely

3.   Mix egg and sugar thoroughly until it turns light

4.   Fold in oats

5.    Drop tablespoons on a well greased baking tray

6.     Flatten with wet fork

7.      Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden and delicious