Sticky Figgy Pudding

Gluten Free Figgy Pudding

Submitted by: Tammy Reese, of North Lima, OH

This recipe reminds me of Christmas when I was a child. My Great-Grandma Donaldson made figgy pudding every year for the holidays. The moist fig cake with a caramel-fig sauce is just a delight not to mention how great your house will smell while making it. This updated version is excellent if you have someone in the family who needs a gluten-free option for a holiday sweet treat!

Pudding Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp of light olive oil, plus extra for dusting the ramekins
• 1 cup almond flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2/3 cup of boiling water
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 cup of dried figs, roughly chopped
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of coconut or brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of rice flour
• 1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 2 tbsp of fig or date syrup
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp of heavy cream or coconut milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Grease the ramekins with a little butter or cooking spreay. Dust with a small amount of chestnut or almond flour and shake to remove any excess.
3. Dissolve the instant coffee in boiling water and pour over the chopped figs.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and coconut or brown sugar until frothy. This should only take a few minutes.
5. Mix in the chestnut or almond flour, rice flour, baking powder, bbaking soda and xanthan gum with a wooden spoon before stirring in the fig and coffee mixture.
6. Spoon the mixture evenly between the prepared ramekins and place onto a baking tray. Transfer to an oven and bake for around 25 minutes or until fully risen and firm to the touch. As an extra test insert a knife or toothpick into the middle – if it comes out clean the puddings are done.
7. Leave the puddings to cool in the ramekins for about 5 minutes, then remove by sliding a thin knife around the edge of the puddings and turn upside down on a plate. The bottoms can be trimmed to create a perfectly flat base
8. For the sauce, first place the sugar, date syrup and vanilla extract into a small pan. Place this over a low to medium heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
9. Pour in the heavy cream or coconut milk and bring to the boil, before turning the heat down to a simmer. Once the mixture has thickened a little pour the sauce evenly over each of the puddings

Note: For the original non-gluten free version: Replace the almond flour & rice flour with 1 1/3 cup of flour; Increase the amount of dried figs to 1 1/4 cups; remove the xanthum gum and baking soda. For a lower glycemic index version: use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar or replace the sugars with a brown sugar replacement of your choice.