Recipe of the Week: Bread and Butter Pudding... with a twist

Bread & Butter Pudding is a simple pudding that is moistened by egg custard. Although I love traditional bread & butter pudding with sultanas, this is a very delicious alternative. The chai-flavoured custard spiked with ginger is warming and delicious. As with all egg custards, it mustn’t be allowed to boil or it will curdle. When cooked in a bain-marie it allows the egg to set the custard, creating a smooth, creamy, rich dessert. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Chai Bread & Butter Pudding

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 5 portions)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp. black peppercorns

10 cloves

6 green cardamom pods split

1x 2-inch piece of ginger very finely sliced

3 tea bags

Honey to taste

300ml milk

300ml cream

25gr sugar

50 gr sultanas

6 or 7 slices of stale loaf bread buttered (roughly 125 gr)

3 whole free range eggs

A few shavings of freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

• Put the milk, cream, ginger and spices together in a pot and bring to the boil.
• Add the tea bags and allow to infuse.
• Leave to sit for an hour if possible, and then return to almost boiling.
• Add the honey to taste.
• Meanwhile butter an eight or 10 inch Pyrex dish.
• Cut the buttered bread in triangles and layer up in the dish, scattering sultanas between the layers.
• Break the eggs into a bowl, then break up with a whisk then strain on the chai flavoured milk mixture onto the eggs, mix well then pass through a sieve onto the bread and sultanas.
• With a spatula push the bread down into the custard mix, for the best result before cooking allow the pudding to sit in the fridge for two or three hours or to soak up all the custard.
• You can even prepare it to this stage the night before you need it, and then just press the bread down again before cooking the next day.
• To cook place the Pyrex dish into a roasting tin or another larger dish place in the oven (170C, cooking time 30 to 45 minutes), than pour boiling water into the larger dish until it comes two thirds of the way up the pudding dish, this is called cooking in a bain marie.
• It will stop the egg mixture curdling and give you a beautiful moist smooth pudding.
• When the pudding is golden brown and firm to the touch insert a skewer and check it comes out smoothly.
• Serve with cream or ice cream.

You can contact Mercy on info@wickeddesserts.ie