Missie Cindz Fruity Pud Inn

10 March 2012

Missie's Fruity Pud Inn at The Rutland Arms - March 2012

What are we having for pudding?
There’s certainly a lot of interest in puddings in Sheffield and that’s been proven by our third Missie’s Pud Inn (#MissiesPudInn), where 30 diners came to join me for homemade puddings last weekend.

A big thank you to everyone who came to make Pud Inn so sweet; our pudding makers (stars) which included Sheffield’s Harland Cafe on John St, Ian Martin head-chef from PJ taste, Rutland Arms Head Chef Mike Smith, my mum Lin, and our helpers (Jules, Sam and Callum) for their assistance and support – plus, not forgetting, the Rutland Arms in helping to make Missie’s Pud Inn the ideal place to have our Pud Inns.

A selection of five fruity based puddings were on show to wet the palettes of our diners and we made sure everyone who joined would receive their daily “5 A Day” plus more. With the use of ‘Score and Comments’ sheets on diner’s tables, diners were able to provide feedback and have some fun with their five puddings, though the event wasn’t a competition to find out who would be the King or Queen of pudding makers of course! (but I did sense a little sweet competition between Chef Ian (@Chefy113) with the Rutland’s Chef Mike? – let the puds battle commence? :)

Every time I organise a Missie’s Pud Inn meet-up, I love the anticipation and build up the event brings – people asking, what puddings are being served? who’s taking part? – it all helps to get people talking about pudding. It’s pleasing to see how Pud Inn provides a focal point for discussion and sharing of ideas and pleasures of the sweet stuff.

Sheffield’s One Sweet City
After the welcome, everyone got down to business – a lovely flow of 5 puddings. First up; Easter Bread and Butter Pudding – Hot Cross Buns and Fruit in a Zesty Orange Custard. Made by Steve & Sara at Sheffield’s Harland Cafe (@HarlandCafe)

Pud 1: Easter Bread and Butter Pudding - Hot Cross Buns and Fruit in a Zesty Orange Custard.

Bread and butter pudding has always been an old school pudding favourite of mine, but I’ve never thought of using hot cross buns in this way. Harland’s version was a really great alternative to plain old bread and butter pudding – a fantastic idea for a special Easter Sunday pudding, full of dried fruit and spices. All those delicious flavours, mixed with their zesty orange custardy sauce made this a lovely first course pud.

Comments from attendees included:

• “A tasty light bread and butter pudding – good flavours!”
• “You surprised me! Thought I didn’t like hot crossed buns”
• “Delicious. The flavours really worked well together”
• “I love hot cross buns! Great idea but needed more of the zesty yummy custard”
• “I love the zest!”

Summer Fruit Salad served with Grass Jelly in a Lychee and Strawberry Juice.

Next up, pudding no.2, a refreshing ‘Oriental summer fruit salad’ which consisted of a bowl full of sweet lychees, longans, fresh strawberries, blueberries and crunchy grapes swimming in a lychee and strawberry juice served with grass jelly cubes – a homemade dessert was made by my mum.

Grass jelly is a really popular Chinese dessert, it’s not actually made from grass, but from Mesona chinensis, which is like a herb similar to mint. These leaves and stalks are boiled down to extract the flavour and then the liquid is cooled to a jelly-like consistency. Despite the intense obsidian colour, grass jelly has a mild herbal taste – I love the stuff and it was good for our diners to try too. I was pleased to see diners trying something new.

Comments from attendees included:

• “A great combination of fruits and it was great t try grass jelly”
• “Really refreshing and the jelly complements the fruit well”
• “Lovely lychees! Sorry, I didn’t like grass jelly – couldn’t get used to the texture”
• “Grass jelly has an acquired taste”

Pud 2: a refreshing oriental fruit salad – fresh strawberries, lychees, longans, grapes in fruit juice

Missies Fruity Pud Inn at The Rutland Arms - March 2012

Pud no.3, ‘Not What You Think It Is’ Apple Crumble and Custard served with a scoop of lemon ice cream. Made by Rutland Arm’s Chef Mike. Chef Mike’s pudding came top favourite at our Xmas Missie’s Pud Inn so I was looking forward to trying out his new fruity offering. Mike’s the type of chef who likes to be a bit different with his puds – they’re always really exciting and you just don’t know what he’ll come up with next.

So what made this crumble so ‘Not What You Think It Is’, I hear you ask? Chef Mike tells me the apples were caramelised in dark rum then baked with the custard, left to to cool before topping with a ginger and cinnamon crumble and served with a scoop of lemon ice cream – the crumble was served cold (also part of his twist!).

I was gutted I missed out on Mike’s crumble (how did this happen?) – I am seriously hoping Chef Mike makes some more of this (please?). From one of our diner’s feedback, Clare Farmer (@pinklittlebean) says “The crumble was just perfect, it had the right amount of cinnamon and sweetness to it. The custard inside of the apple was like Crème brûlée. Mmm!! I loved it!”

Other comments for Mike’s pudding from the attendees’ score sheets included:

• “Good twist!!”
• “Fantastic, I could have had more! The cinnamon crumble on top was gorgeous”
  
• “Lovely! Beautiful textures and flavours. Gorgeous ice cream too. Put it on the menu!”

Pud 4: Rice Pudding made with Our Cow Molly Cream and a Wakefield Rhubarb Compote

Next up was pudding no. 4, Rice Pudding made with Our Cow Molly Cream and a Wakefield Rhubarb Compote with Choice of Sheffield Honey or Yorkshire Rosehip Syrup to sweeten. Made by Ian Martin (@Chefy113), head-chef at PJ Taste. Rice pudding’s another of my all-time favourite puds – and this was the real thing – a mass of creamy rice. Although I have a ridiculously sweet tooth, I quite like rice puddings made less sweet so that, the dish can be sweetened by a dollop of jam or the fruit compote/honey/rosehip syrup stirred in.

And does anyone really, honestly hate the skin? Serve with another dollop of the tangy fruit and all the skin. It was perfect!

A Berri-licious 'Missie Cindz Take Away' Trifle. Made by me :)

The final pudding course was from me – the classic fruit trifle. I purposely made the trifle in its own “take away” packaging (to tie-in with my new Missie Cindz Take Away clothing range!) which I hope diners thought was a nice touch? The fruits in the jelly included fresh raspberries and strawberries from Sheffield’s Castle Market, finished with dried cranberries on top. It was also all about the DREAM TOPPING too!

The Proof Is In The Puddings…
Watching the smiles appear on our diners’ faces as they ate the apple crumble, treacle sponge and custard (Pud Inn 1), scoops of refreshing ice cream (Yee Kwan Ice Cream, Pud Inn 2), creamy, comforting wedges of cheesecake and bread and butter pudding (to name but a few) makes putting on these Missie Cindz Pud Inn so worthwhile and fun.

Sheffield, from what I’ve seen, can contribute to an enormous range of delicious post dinner treats and I can’t wait to share more of these treats with diners in June at Missie’s Summer Pud Inn at the Rutland Arms.

Keep in touch
If you would like to put your name on our waiting list or express your interest in future events then please sign up to our Missie Cindz VIPees mailing list – where a colourful newsletter with tasty updates and happenings will be pinged into your inbox monthly. If you missed out on my previous Pud Inn write-ups, you can read about about my first Missie’s Pud Inn here and the second Xmas Missie’s Pud in here!

A big thank you to food blogger, Clare Farmer who attended our Fruity Pud Inn last week for her account on our event, you can read her post here: Missie’s Fruity Pud Inn

So, dear readers, what’s your favourite traditional fruit-based pudding?

{photos by Callum Biggin}

Missie Cindz