Playing House

I'm lucky enough to have the opportunity to house sit with my boyfriend this month. The second time we have, and I can't help but feel like I'm 'playing house'! Our little family consists of the two of us, Lola the cat and our chickens Claude and Cairo. It's comfortable, close to everything and very exciting playing real grown ups for a month :D
The best thing about our little adventure is the cooking! We've made roasts, pancake breakfasts, soups, the list goes on. I've even had the pleasure of Matt making me his signature pasta when I'm too tired to move after work! As our time comes to an end I'm thinking about those meals that stood out. 


I've got to tell you about this sticky date pudding. I love dates, but I've never found this popular dessert appealing and when I've tasted other peoples I've never been impressed. I went on a camp recently and was cooked sticky date pudding en masse for dessert. Catering for 50 people usually means giant tubs of ice-cream and dried out pudding, but boy was I in for a treat. 
This sticky date pudding is life changing. I have been totally, irreversibly converted. I went straight home from the camp and served it the next day for dessert at a dinner party we hosted. Here is the recipe, I guarantee you won't turn back.


Life Changing Sticky Date Pudding
from Stephanie Alexander, thanks to Rob!
Serves 6 generously
Ingredients
170g dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp bicarb soda
300ml boiling water
60g butter
3/4c brown sugar
2 eggs
170g SR flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Sauce
200g brown sugar
1/2c thickened cream
125g butter
1 vanilla bean or substitute 1tsp vanilla extract


Method
Preheat oven to 180C and grease an 18cm square cake tin.
Mix dates, bicarb and boiling water and leave to stand.
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat well.
Fold in flour then stir in date mixture and vanilla.
Pour into cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes until inserted skewer comes out clean!
The top of the cake will have a thin crust, slightly darker than the inside. The centre should be soft, but not liquid.
To make the sauce mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour a little sauce over warm pudding and return to oven for a few minutes.
Serve pudding in bowls drizzled with warm sauce.


The sauce is to die for, the recipe originally calls for double the ingredients but I had far too much. Any sauce left over can go into a jar and kept in the fridge - it's fantastic warmed up in the microwave and poured over icecream, on pancakes or anything else you can think of!