What is the story behind your blog name? Why the search and why golden pudding?

The search for golden pudding is another of those memories of food that isn’t really mine, but part of family folklore. Throughout my childhood I remember my mother trying to recreate a golden pudding my father had had when he was eight. He remembers it having golden syrup, and having a texture that suggested it might contain semolina, but has few memories apart from that.

My mother has cooked many golden puddings, but none of them, while delicious, have been the golden pudding of my father’s memories.

The blog name references both this specific search, and the broader search to, I suppose, document the meaning in what we cook and eat, and create family connections through this process….

How do you sterilise jars for preserving?

If you’re from the US, this will look very different from the process you’re used to, but this is my version of a method commonly used in Australia and Europe, noting that it is only for high sugar/high acid products such as jam, jelly, marmalade, pickle or chutney, not for bottled fruit or vegetables.

I sterilise jars by putting both lids and jars through a normal cycle in the dishwasher and then put the jars on a baking paper lined tray in a 100C oven to dry and heat.  The lids go in a small saucepan covered with water.  When the preserve is almost done, I bring the saucepan to the boil and simmer for 5 min.

I pour the hot preserve into the hot jars, and then drain the lids from the water, giving them a shake to remove any excess water before screwing them on until just tight.  I use these jars as they are easy to fill and I prefer a lid where it is clear that you have a seal by the ‘button’ on the lid popping down.

Allow the jars to cool completely and all the lids to ‘pop’ before storing.  If any jars don’t seal I just store in the fridge and use first, but they will still last for months.