Everybody's Doing It!

First Liz did her chocolate pudding, then Rachel Allen did a banana butterscotch one on TV, and now Gordon Ramsay has got a self-saucing recipe in today's Times. So I have completed the trilogy by making this one today. It is much lighter and fluffier than the other two. I had 2 lemons left in the fruit bowl, and used bottled lime juice. Next week I think we will be strictly back to yogurt and fruit for desserts!

LEMON'N'LIME SELF SAUCING PUDDING

Serves 4

The combination of fluffy top layer and curd-like sauce at the bottom makes this a fantastic all-in-one dessert.

· 40g unsalted butter, softened

· 120g caster sugar

· Grated zest of 1 lemon

· 2 eggs, separated

· Juice of 2 lemons

· Juice of 1 lime

· 40g plain flour

· 150ml milk

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Whizz the butter, sugar, lemon and lime zest and egg yolks in a food processor until pale and creamy. While the food processor is running, add the lemon and lime juice (you need about 75ml juice in total), then the flour, followed by the milk. Whisk until you have a smooth batter. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to medium-stiff peaks.

2 Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter, then pour into a wide, lightly greased baking dish, about 1litre in volume. Put the baking dish in a roasting tray. Half-fill with hot water and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until the surface of the pudding is golden and firm and the bottom is the consistency of a curd-like sauce. Serve immediately.

Bob has not stopped today - preparing for the Family Service tomorrow and doing a number of pastoral visits. I managed a quick trip to the Library this morning. This afternoon I was preparing some stuff for Bob for tomorrow and so as I worked, I sat and watched the recording I made over Christmas of "The Preacher's Wife".

It was not what you would call 'deep' and the plot was predictable, but Whitney Houston sung quite a few songs [she was leader of the church choir - a role to which I would NEVER aspire] some new,some 'trad' hymns.

The words of one song were good I thought ...

I go to the rock of my salvation
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain
And the mountain he stands by me
When the Earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter I go to the rock
Where do I go, where do I go
When the storms of life are threatening?
Who do I turn to when those winds of sorrow blow
And is there a refuge in the time of tribulation?
Go to the rock, I know he is able
I go to the rock   On the subject of American Preachers, I think I ought to be praying some more for Rick Warren, who has only got a week or so left to prepare the "Invocation" which he has to deliver at Barack Obama's Inauguration on January 20th.

What a responsibility! But what an opportunity!

[but that holds true for anyone called to preach the Word - whether in a small village chapel or in the capital of the USA, and God graciously empowers and equips every preacher who calls on Him]

I haven't been to a 'regular' Sunday Service since December 21st - I am SO looking forward to being back in church tomorrow!