Burnt Caramel And Ginger Pudding Cake With Calvados Custard - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar
4 oz crystallized ginger, thinly sliced
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
2 None large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup milk
None None Calvados Custard
1 None vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out
1 2/3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 None large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp Calvados (apple brandy) or brandy

Preparation

To make the caramel, place 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook for 3 mins, swirling pan often, until sugar is a deep golden color. Remove from heat and carefully pour in 1/2 cup water. Return pan to heat and cook for 3 mins, or until caramel has mostly dissolved. Let cool for 5 mins.
Grease a 6 cup heatproof bowl. Line base with parchment paper. Sprinkle 2/3 of the crystallized ginger over base of bowl and drizzle with honey.
In a mixer, beat butter, remaining sugar and spices until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Sift flour over bowl and fold in along with remaining crystallized ginger. Fold in milk and cooled caramel. Transfer to prepared bowl and cover with parchment paper and foil.
Transfer to a large saucepan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up side of bowl. Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour 30 mins, replenishing water as necessary. Remove bowl from pan and let cool for 10 mins. Transfer to a serving plate.
Meanwhile, to make the Calvados custard, combine vanilla bean seeds, milk and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle simmer then remove from heat. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a medium heatproof bowl until combined. Strain hot milk mixture over egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Transfer mixture to a cleaned saucepan and cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 mins, until custard thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in Calvados.
Serve pudding cake with custard.