Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Walnut Sponge
- 115 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 115 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 115 g all-purpose flour
- 4 g baking powder
- 100 g walnuts, toasted
- 30 ml whole milk
- 15 ml brandy
- 3 g orange zest
Vanilla-Orange Anglaise
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 100 ml whole milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 40 g granulated sugar
- ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 3 g orange zest, strips
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Prepare the pudding basin by greasing it generously with butter. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the basin and another larger circle to cover the top. Fold a pleat into the center of the top circle (to allow for expansion).
Pulse the toasted walnuts in a food processor until finely ground, resembling the texture of almond meal. Be careful not to process too long or they will turn into butter.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour with each egg to prevent curdling.
Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder, ground walnuts, and orange zest. Gently stir in the milk and brandy until the batter reaches a dropping consistency.
Spoon the batter into the prepared basin. Cover with the pleated parchment circle (butter side down), then cover with foil (also pleated). Secure tightly with kitchen twine under the rim of the basin.
Place the basin in a large stockpot. Pour boiling water into the pot until it reaches halfway up the side of the basin. Cover the pot and steam on a low simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check water level occasionally, topping up if necessary.
While the pudding steams, prepare the sauce. Combine cream, milk, vanilla bean (seeds and pod), and orange zest strips in a saucepan. Heat gently until just beginning to simmer, then remove from heat and let infuse for 20 minutes.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Remove zest strips and vanilla pod from the dairy mixture. Slowly pour the warm dairy into the yolks while whisking constantly to temper.
Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon (nappe) or reaches 82°C (180°F). Do not boil. Strain through a fine mesh sieve immediately.
Carefully remove the pudding from the steamer. Let rest for 5 minutes. Cut the string, remove foil and paper, and invert onto a warmed serving plate. Serve immediately with the warm sauce.
Chef's Notes
- Toasting the walnuts before grinding releases their natural oils and deepens the flavor profile significantly.
- If you do not have a pudding basin, a heatproof glass mixing bowl of similar volume works perfectly well.
- The pleat in the parchment paper and foil is crucial; it allows the pudding to expand as it cooks without breaking the seal.
- For a lighter sauce, you can replace the heavy cream with whole milk entirely, though the texture will be less velvety.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store pudding and sauce in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze pudding only; sauce does not freeze well due to emulsion structure.
Reheating: Reheat pudding by steaming for 20 minutes or microwaving gently. Gently warm sauce over a water bath, do not boil.
