Blueberry duff is a Newfoundland and Labrador steamed pudding, traditionally cooked in a cloth bag or covered mold. It may be served plain with Jiggs' Dinner or as dessert with a sweet sauce. This measured version uses blueberries in a soft batter and includes a simple caramel sauce for dessert service.
Blueberry duff is a Newfoundland and Labrador steamed pudding, traditionally cooked in a cloth bag or covered mold. It may be served plain with Jiggs' Dinner or as dessert with a sweet sauce. This measured version uses blueberries in a soft batter and includes a simple caramel sauce for dessert service.
Step 1Set a trivet in a large pot. Add hot water to reach halfway up the side of the pudding basin, below its lid. Cover the pot and bring the water to a steady simmer.
Step 2Beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg, then the milk and 2.5 ml vanilla. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and 0.5 g salt; stir into the wet mixture just until no dry flour remains.
Step 3Gently fold in the blueberries. Grease the pudding basin and add the batter, leaving room to expand; do not fill it more than two-thirds. Cover with the basin lid or parchment and foil secured around the rim.
Step 4Set the basin on the trivet in the simmering pot. Cover and steam for about 75 minutes. Keep a gentle simmer and add boiling water as needed so the pot does not run dry and the basin is not submerged.
Step 5While the duff steams, combine the brown sugar, cream and 0.5 g salt in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat, add the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until bubbling and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in 5 ml vanilla.
Step 6Check the centre with a clean food thermometer; it must reach 74°C. If it has not, cover and steam for another 10–15 minutes, then check again. Carefully lift out the hot basin and let the duff rest for 10 minutes.
Step 7Unmold onto a plate and cut into 8 portions. Serve plain as a side with a boiled dinner, or spoon warm caramel sauce over each portion for dessert. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
A duff is a moist-heat pudding, not a blueberry grunt: the batter steams in a bag or covered basin, while a grunt cooks berries and dumplings together in an open pot. In Newfoundland, blueberry duff may accompany Jiggs' Dinner without sauce or be served separately with caramel, brown-sugar or rum sauce. Refrigerate leftovers at 4°C or colder within 2 hours; use the pudding within 2–3 days. Keep the sauce covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Rounded estimate for 1 of 8 portions, including one-eighth of the caramel sauce, based on common composition values for flour, sugar, butter, egg, milk, blueberries, cream and leavening. The batch provides about 2,850 kcal, 424 g carbohydrate, 26 g protein, 122 g fat, 7 g fibre and 870 mg sodium. The amount of sauce served and product brands change the result; this is not a laboratory analysis.
Contains wheat (gluten), egg and milk. The batter contains raw flour and egg: do not taste it. Wash hands, bowls, utensils and surfaces after handling. Steam covered and verify at least 74°C in the centre with a clean food thermometer; continue in 10–15-minute increments if needed. Keep the basin above the simmering water on a trivet and do not let the pot boil dry. Refrigerate pudding and sauce within 2 hours at 4°C or colder. Use the pudding within 2–3 days; use refrigerated sauce within 1 week. Reheat pudding portions to 74°C.
Yes. It is also served plain as a side with a boiled dinner. The sauce is for a sweeter dessert-style serving.
