Suet pastry

[cherrytree Profile]

I don’t watch the Great British Bake Off any more but according to the Mustardland board, the contestants had to make a Sussex Pond pudding and some of them didn’t know about suet pastry. Is this true, on a flagship baking programme?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Yes, none of them had made either suet pastry or for that matter a steamed pudding before. Most didn’t seem to have worked with suet

The youngest had made suet dumplings and so could work out from there’re

I was surprised that they didn’t seem to work out that if you are steaming a pud, so obviously at <100°C, it’s going to take longer than if you bake it at 160°C and all undercooked

[MagicMarmite Profile]

It's the only pastry I can make!

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I don't watch GBBO any more either but how can a steamed pudding be baking?

I find steaming suet pastry very difficult to get right even with a full recipe. I think it's an art which, except with keen cooks, largely died with my parents' generation (I.e. people aged around 100 now) and I've rarely made suet pastry for baking.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I didn’t think they were given enough time - mum used to make her Sussex pond in a pressure cooker, and the lemon didn’t always cook through given a longish time under pressure

[cherrytree Profile]

I quite agree about whether a baking programme is the appropriate place for a steamed pudding , but I do disagree about the age of people who cook with suet pastry.
My who family including the youngest grandchildren love dumplings in a stew, and I also put suet in my mincemeat.
Whether one likes it or not, suet pastry is a traditional recipe and I cannot get my head around a flagship programme having contestants who have never heard about it at all.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I've never made suet pastry and have only used suet a couple of times when I made Christmas Pudds. Once was when I was living in a student residence in Germany and promised to make everyone sharing our kitchen a real, English Christmas Pudding! I went round to the butcher's in search of "Nierenfett".
It wasn't anything my mother ever used so I really didn't know anything about it until I moved out.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I agree, but I'm not sure that real baking prowess is a requirement for what the programme has become. If I were younger, I doubt I would ever have used or possibly even eaten suet pastry used in a form where it is rolled and steamed or baked. Dumplings are a bit different!

[Busybee Profile]

All the recipes on line are for between three and four hours steaming, how they were supposed to be successful in, I think, two and a half hours beggars belief.

But I was surprised that none of them had made either suet pastry or a steamed pudding before.

On balance I think the wrong person went home.

BB

Edited to add - I often use suet pastry to top a beef casserole. My son doesn’t like dumplings but will eat suet pastry- I know, go figure!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I think it was a reasonable challenge for the programme, it’s not strictly baking, but this episode was about desserts and puds, and it’s pastry, which is a baker’s skill

I’m not surprised they had never made Sussex pond, but perhaps a bit surprised not one of them had made, or researched, a steak (and kidney) pud as that seems to be the last redoubt of steamed suet crust

Can’t think when I last bought suet, I used to put it in mincemeat but I stopped doing that as it’s not very nice imo in pies served cold but I never really liked any form of suet pastry or traditional dumplings

[cherrytree Profile]

Felicity Cloake who by appearance looks to be well under thirty has done a ‘pe.rfect’ recipe for Sussex Pond in the Guardian.
My husband tells me that on Twitter last evening she was outraged that in the Bake off Prue Leith had mentioned putting cheese and onion in a Quiche Lorraine.

[Suelle Profile Website]

I suppose the contestants would have been criticised for it, but IMO, they all rolled their suet pastry too thin, which is part of the reason nearly all collapsed (as well as being raw!).

I wanted to make dumplings a couple of weeks ago, and didn't have suet, but experimented with the non-yeast flatbread recipe we discussed a while ago - equal weights of full fat Greek yogurt and SR flour, plus some flavouring/seasoning. It made really good dumplings!

[Pepper Pig Profile]

Suet pastry and dumplings have always been in my repertoire. But then I guess I'm old and I don't remember teaching my kids about it.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Felicity Cloake who by appearance looks to be well under thirty has done a ‘pe.rfect’ recipe for Sussex Pond in the Guardian.
My husband tells me that on Twitter last evening she was outraged that in the Bake off Prue Leith had mentioned putting cheese and onion in a Quiche Lorraine.

Felicity is nearer 40 than 30, though in very good nick! I’ve met her a couple of times, she is very energetic

But the point of her column is that she researches, and tests thoroughly, recipes she has often only encountered in writing, though I’ll bet her friend Thane Prince (71) could give us all a few tips in this area

[cherrytree Profile]

Is she really? Well well. I love her column. I made her apple Charlotte on Sunday which was delicious, and her Christmas cake yesterday.

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I made a stew last week for friends in their 70s and decided they'd like dumplings, but it became clear they didn't have them at home. There shall have to be a suet pud or two made over the winter with the rest of the packet.

It surprised me that none of the contestants were aware of suet pastry, after all they're 'Britain's best home bakers'

Less surprising was the inadequate time allowed for the challenge. Raw pastry or melting ice cream makes for better television than giving people the time and space to do the job properly.

[cherrytree Profile]

And coincidentally, in today’s Guardian, Felicity Cloake has a recipe for individual meat and potato pies using suet fir the pastry.

[smitch Profile]

Pretty sure Felicity is mid to late 30s.

I’ve never made suet pastry or a steamed sponge pudding. Not really my thing. Don’t think I’ve ever eaten one either. I have made (veggie) suet dumplings ages ago but we don’t really eat stews.

[cherrytree Profile]

Not even a steamed syrup sponge pudding? What a treat you’ve missed.

[smitch Profile]

Nope, we didn’t really have stuff like that in my family when I was growing up. We had plenty of home baking from my Nan but not pies or puddings.