Sticky Sticky

I have a fun group of foodie friends that I hang with. We’re in a little Supper Club, and every few months, we gather in someone’s home and make dinner. It started one night when we were all talking about how we always go and check out the latest and greatest restaurant in town, but wouldn’t it actually be fun to get together, in someone’s house, and make dinner and hang out for the night? Well, at least that was the initial plan.

After our first Supper Club meeting, my friend Chris heard about it and invited us all over to his house for Supper Club. His house in Half Moon Bay. Since then, we’ve been to Lake Tahoe (Supper Club goes to 7,000 Feet), and Palm Springs (Supper Club Goes to the Heat!) This past weekend, we was our Palm Springs Supper Club. One of my favorite Supper Clubs to date. One of our Supper Club members, Eric, made his famous Sticky Toffee Pudding. Not really a pudding at all…but oh so good. He was kind enough to disclose the recipe, so for all you dedicated readers, please check out the recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding (courtesy of Sunset magazine!)

So. Team Supper Club. Where to next?

Sticky Toffee in the ramekins cooling

Chef reaches over to grab a little piece...taste test!

Final product! Beautiful!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients
1 cup chopped pitted dates

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

Toffee Sauce (see below for recipe!)

Crème fraîche or sour cream

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter and flour six 8-ounce ramekins.
2. In a small bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over dates and baking soda and stir.
3. In another bowl, with a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat butter, brown sugar, and eggs until blended, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Gently stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and date mixture just until combined. Pour mixture evenly into ramekins and set on a baking sheet.
4. Bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed in the center, 30 to 40 minutes. Let puddings cool about 20 minutes.
5. Run a paring knife around inside of each ramekin. Invert a dessert plate over each and, holding both tightly together, invert again to unmold pudding. Turn puddings right side up and drizzle with a little toffee sauce. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream and serve with remaining sauce.

Yield
Makes 6 servings

Toffee Sauce

In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over medium-high heat, bring 3/4 cup whipping cream, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Yield
Makes 1 cup