Discover Sticky Toffee Pudding at Hawksmoor in East London

Courtesy of The Hawksmoor.

A meat lover’s haven tucked in a dimly lit tavern, The Hawksmoor boasts some of the tastiest chateaubriand we’ve ever sampled, and cocktails to match. Beef is served by the gram here, and the waiters are skillfully trained to help you decide how much you’re able to handle. Just make sure you save enough room for the sticky toffee pudding — beyond delicious. TheHawksmoor.com

“Sticky toffee pudding is our longest-serving dessert, on the menu since we started. It’s based on old-fashioned Victorian steamed puddings, and the secret is a fairly hefty pinch of sea salt that makes the whole thing incredibly rich. It’s best served with unsweetened cream to offset the sweetness.”—Richard Turner, executive chef, Hawksmoor.

Serves 10 to 12

Toffee Sauce:

2/3 cup dark muscovado sugar

2/3 cup light muscovado sugar

2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup double cream

Generous pinch of salt

Pudding:

2¼ cups finely chopped dates

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon beef suet (raw beef fat)

2/3 cup dark muscovado sugar

2/3 cup light muscovado sugar

2 eggs

2½ cups plus 2 tablespoons self-raising flour

1¼ teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of sea salt

10-12 well-buttered dariole molds

Clotted cream

Place sauce ingredients in pan, and heat until butter and sugar melt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until sauce is thick, then leave until serving. Heat oven to 350°F. Place the dates and baking soda in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Stir suet with muscovado sugars, mix in the eggs one at a time, then fold in flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dates and their liquid to the mixture. Fill the buttered dariole molds three-quarters full with the mixture, cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes or until the puddings rise. Test with a skewer—it should come out clean, free of raw batter. Unmold the puddings and serve with the warm toffee sauce, indecent quantities of clotted cream, and perhaps a glass of Calvados to lightly splash over it.

Veggies can use imported British vegetable suet, available for under $7; Amazon.com