Jaqui's Bread And Butter Pudding
Jaqui, a friend of mine, is very fond of puddings, but her husband, Frank, adores them, or, more particularly, traditional puddings, including bread and butler pudding. This has recently become one of the most fashionable traditional puddings, and many variations have appeared. This one, which is given a refreshing lift by citrus juices and tangy marmalade, pleases Frank and everyone else to whom jaqui has served it, including me, because it is slightly different without deviating too far from the original and becoming gimmicky.
INGREDIENTS:
100 G/31/2 OZ UNSALTED BUTTER
5 THIN SLICES BREAD FROM A SMALL LOAF, 6 FROM A LARGE. ONE
31/2 TBSP BITTER MARMALADE
FINELY GRATED RIND AND JUICE
OF 2 ORANGES
FINELY GRATED RIND AND JUICE
OF 1 LEMON
85 G/3 OZ VANILLA CASTER
SUGAR
425 ML/15 FL OZ MILK
3 EGGS, SIZE 3
DIRECTIONS:
Set the oven to 150°C/350°F/Gas 1. Butter a 1.2 litre/2 pint ovenproof dish.
Butter one side of each slice of bread and spread with marmalade. Cut off the crusts and cut each slice into triangles or fingers.
In a shallow dish, stir together the orange and lemon rinds and juices and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Dip the bread in this mixture, then line the bottom and sides of the ovenproof dish with some of the bread. Reserve the remaining orange and lemon mixture and bread.
Heat the milk to boiling point in a heavy-based saucepan. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and remaining sugar, then slowly stir in the milk. Pour back into the saucepan and cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until lightly thickened; do not allow to boil.
Pour into the dish. Arrange the remaining bread on top, pour over the remaining orange and lemon mixture and bake for about 30-40 minutes until softly set and creamy inside and crisp and golden on top.
VARIATION:
Much to his regret, Frank is unable to eat cream, so jaqui uses only milk to make the custard, but for a richer pudding you could replace 150 ml/5 f1 oz of the milk with the same amount of single, whipping or double cream.
