Sticky Toffee Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

Pudding

• 125 g butter softened
• 150 g light brown sugar
• 100 g dates
• 100 mls boiling water
• 3 medium eggs lightly whisked
• 250 g self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 tbsp treacle
• 50 mls whole milk
• 3 fresh pears or a tin of pears drained ( optional ) 

Salted Caramel Sauce

• 200 g butter
• 200 g light brown sugar
• 500 mls cream
• 75 mls Irish Whiskey optional
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste / 1 vanilla pod . 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream

• 300 mls cream
• 300 mls pre-made custard
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

• Mise en Place: Grease the oven proof dish. Preheat the oven to 180? / 160? / gas 4. Weigh and measure all the ingredients. Peel the fresh pears and dice into 1cm pieces.
• Pudding: Beat the butter and sugar for 6-7 minutes until it is light, fluffy and creamy. Add in the vanilla and treacle and beat again. Pour in the eggs and milk and beat in. Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and fold in. Gently whisk again until everything is combined. Stir in the chopped pears. Keep back about 1 pear for garnish.
• Pour into the oven dish and bake for 40 minutes. You will know it is cooked as it pulls away from the side of the tin, it is springy and well risen.
• Salted Carmel Sauce: Put the butter, light brown sugar, whiskey and cream into a heavy based saucepan.
• Serving Up: As the sticky toffee pudding cools, pour half the sauce over. Allow it to sit for a few moments.
• Spoon out big scoops into warm bowls, pour over some extra toffee sauce and garnish with some chopped pear. Garnish with a sprig of thyme, a dust of icing sugar and a big dollop of vanilla cream.