Date Slice with Earl Grey Tea Bananas and Stem Ginger Ice Cream
Sticky toffee pudding is as British as British could be.
I have eaten many sticky toffee puddings in my lifetime and have found that more than once the texture is heavy, gloopy and the sweetness nearly suffocates you. Not this little beauty!
I have been making this particular recipe for a few years and love the light airy texture.
I change the presentation from time to time to keep it interesting.
The combination of bananas, Earl Grey Tea and Stem Ginger might sound very confusing but it adds to the sophistication of this traditional old time favourite.
I serve these in small portions as I feel too much of a good thing can destroy the effect. It needs to be just enough for your guest to want to lick the plate and look for more but not suffer the sickly sweet feeling.
I have used the Thermomix to make the stem ginger ice cream. I like this method as I can control the size of the stem ginger. Chop the stem ginger by hand and add it at the very end when whipping the ice cream with the butterfly whisk, this ensures large chunky bits of stem ginger.
Date Slice
- 150g chopped dates
- 250ml hot water
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 60g unsalted butter
- 60g light brown sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 150g plain flour
- 1tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 200°C and grease a baking mold with 15 small loaf shapes measuring 8cm x 3cm x 3 cm high.
In a small bowl pour the boiling hot water over the chopped dates and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Let the dates soak for ten minutes.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mix well after each addition.
Add the soaked dates, mix well.
Sieve the flour and baking powder and fold it in to the creamed date mixture.
Spoon the mixture in to the prepared baking mold, fill them ¾ full.
Place the filled mold onto a baking tray,then place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 22 minutes.
Let the small loaves cool for a couple of minutes in the tray before turning them out on to a cooling rack.
Rum Sauce
- 100g unsalted butter
- 200g light brown sugar
- 1tbs dark rum
- ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
- 125ml double cream
In a small saucepan melt the butter, vanilla and sugar.
Let the sugar turn to a light caramel colour, add the rum. Take extra care.
Boil until the alcohol fumes have disappeared and add the cream.
Bring the caramel back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Pour the warm sauce over the date slices.
Stem Ginger Ice Cream
- 500ml full fat milk
- 150ml double cream
- 7 free range egg yolks
- 100g unrefined caster sugar
- 1/2tsp ground ginger
- 60g stem ginger, drained and diced
I have used the Thermomix for this particular ice cream.
If you do not have a Thermomix you can cook the ice cream in a saucepan.
Weigh the milk, sugar, ground ginger and egg yolks directly in to the Thermomix bowl. Set the timer to 3 minutes at 80°C speed 4.
Add the double cream and set the timer for 3 minutes at 80°C speed 4.
Turn the dial to 8 for 20 seconds. Pour the anglaise in to an ice cube tray, cool and freeze the anglaise until solid, about 12 hours.
Once the ice cubes are frozen solid pop them in to the Thermomix bowl.
Crush the ice cubes on speed 10 for 30 seconds, use the Thermomix spatula to help the movement.
Insert the butterfly whisk, add the diced stem ginger and whip the ice cream on speed 4 for 10 seconds.
Earl Grey Tea Bananas
- 4 bananas
- 140g unrefined caster sugar
- 45g liquid glucose
- 2 earl grey tea bags
- 30ml dark rum
- 5ml lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
Preheat the water bath to 65°C.
In a medium size saucepan melt the sugar and glucose over low heat.
Once the sugar has melted turn the heat up and boil the sugar until it starts to turn a caramel colour.
Add the rum and lemon juice, boil until the caramel has dissolved.
Remove the caramel from the heat and add the lemon zest.
Let the caramel cool for about 10 minutes.
Peel the bananas and divide the bananas between two vacuum bags.
Add three tablespoons of caramel and one tea bag to each bag.
Seal the bags on medium vacuum.
Cook the bananas in the water bath for 45 minutes.
Let the bananas cool completely in the caramel.
With the rest of the caramel pull long sugar strings on a silpat, let them cool to crisp. Use the caramel strings to garnish the plate.
To assemble the dish
Garnish the plate with the caramel strings and sprinkle cocoa nibs on the plate to support the ice cream. Place a date slice glazed with the rum sauce on the plate. Open the bags with bananas and slice them in ½ cm slices. Place three pieces of banana on the plate. Scoop a small quenelle of the stem ginger ice cream and place it on the cocoa nibs and serve.
Makes approximately 15 small portions
Print Recipe Print Recipe with Photo Email this Recipe
Dear Michelle,
Thank you!! I’m honoured!! I’m pleased it had the family’s seal of approval. I hope it get the same praise from mum’s this Sunday when we will be making about 50 of these for Mothers day.
Happy Baking,
Maddy
Hi, I made the date pudding last night and replaced the rum with black treacle for the toffee sauce to make it children-friendly, and served it with home-made vanilla ice-cream. My teenager pronounced it ” better than Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding “, which is pretty much the highest accolade he can give so thank-you!!! This is a great recipe for anyone’s repertoire….
My favorite restaurant used to have a dessert called Date Pudding, this recipe looks like it yields a pretty similar outcome. If you have finally provided me with the recipe to make this childhood favorite, I will be eternally grateful. I cannot express how much I miss that dessert. I will let you know when I make it.