Persimmon steamed pudding with coconut anglaise

for 4 people

Food writer

Pudding

150 g	Butter, softened, and 1 Tbsp extra
3	Persimmons (Main)
1 Tbsp	Crystallised ginger, finely sliced
1	Lemon, zested and juiced
150 g	Caster sugar
3	Eggs
250 g	Self raising flour (Main)
¼ tsp	Salt
⅓ cup	Milk

3	Free-range egg yolks
2 Tbsp	Caster sugar
1 tsp	Vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups	Milk
2 Tbsp	Desiccated coconut, lightly toasted

Grease a 1-litre steamed-pudding bowl.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pan. Peel and slice the persimmons. Add to the butter with the ginger, zest and juice. Cook gently until the persimmons have started to soften. Spoon into the bottom of the pudding bowl.
Cream the 150g butter and sugar until very pale. Beat the eggs in one at a time.
Fold the flour and salt in with the milk then spoon over the persimmons. Cover with baking paper and secure (if the bowl doesn't have a screw-on lid). Steam in a large saucepan with enough water to come two-thirds up the side. Steam for 1½ hours. Serve hot with custard.
To make the custard, whisk the yolks, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Boil the milk and whisk into the eggs and sugar then pour into a heavy-based saucepan. Stir gently without boiling until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in coconut.