From the menu of: South City Kitchen Vinings

A. Chip Ulbrich, South City Kitchen's executive chef, sent us this recipe, an adaptation of an English dessert. "As you know, all desserts in England are referred to as 'pudding,' even though this is more of a cake. We lightly spice it with ginger and flavor the toffee with molasses and bittersweet chocolate. For our special New Year's Eve menu, we topped it with clabbered cream, which is a sort of homemade sour cream," he wrote.

Sticky toffee pudding usually makes an appearance on South City Kitchen’s menu in the colder months when holiday spices prevail and the need for comfort is most needed. At the restaurant they prepare this dish as individual servings in heat-proof ramekins, garnished with cream or ice cream and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

South City Kitchen’s Sticky (or Figgy) Toffee Pudding

Hands on: 15 minutes Total time: 1 hour Serves: 15

15 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cups pitted dried dates or dried figs, diced

2 cups water

2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar, divided

3 eggs, room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup molasses

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ice cream, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and shake to coat pan evenly. Set out a roasting pan large enough to hold the baking dish in a water bath. Heat 4 cups water in microwave or saucepan until simmering. Keep warm until ready to bake.

In a small saucepan, combine dates or figs and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream 6 tablespoons butter with 1 cup brown sugar until light, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ginger and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three additions, scraping after each. Beat just until smooth, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer.

Stir baking soda into cooked fruit; mixture will bubble up. Slowly fruit add to batter, mixing just until smooth. Spread batter in prepared baking dish and set dish inside roasting pan.

Pour simmering water around pan. Water should come half way up the side. Carefully place pan in oven.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, remove baking dish from water bath and allow to cool slightly.

While dessert is cooling, in a medium saucepan, make sauce by combining remaining 8 tablespoons butter with remaining 1 cup brown sugar and bringing to a simmer. Add cream and molasses and simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add chocolate and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted. Using a chopstick, poke many holes in the pudding and then pour the sauce slowly over the cake so it has time to soak in. Serve pudding warm with ice cream if desired.

Per serving: 404 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 4 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 18 grams fat (11 grams saturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 287 milligrams sodium.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.