Bread and Butter Pudding

It’s not often that you can get the exact recipe used in restaurants you love. Fortunately Ireland’s Master Chef Kevin Dundon publishes some of the recipes he uses at his B&B in Wexford and at Raglan Road Irish Pub on his website.

Doug’s favorite dessert when we visit Raglan Road is the Bread & Butter Pudding. I did a trial run with it a couple of weeks ago to practice for our annual St.Patrick’s Day dinner. My custard could have been smoother but it tasted great!

This dessert is a bit involved and requires three separate recipes: the pudding, the butterscotch sauce and the custard.

Pudding
* 3 oz butter, at room temperature
* 12 slices medium-sliced white bread (I baked my own but you can buy it- just make sure it’s not sliced)
* 2 oz raisins
* 1/2 pint cream
*1/2 pint milk
* 4 egg yolks
* 3 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar. If your store doesn’t have it just pulse in a food processor for a few seconds.)
* 2 eggs

Directions

Generously butter an ovenproof dish. Remove the crusts from the bread and using the remaining butter butter, both sides, then cut each slice into quarters.

Arrange a single layer of the bread triangles, slightly overlapping in the bottom of the buttered dish. Scatter over some of the raisins and place another layer of the bread triangles on top and scatter over the remaining raisins. Press down gently with a fish slice or spatula.

To make the custard, heat the cream and milk in a pan until it almost comes to the boil. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until thickened and the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture. Remove from the heat and beat in the cream mixture until well combined.

Pour two-thirds of the custard over the layered-up bread triangles and leave to stand for about 30 minutes or until the bread has soaked up all of the custard.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the remaining custard over the soaked bread and butter triangles and arrange the rest of the bread triangles on top. Press down firmly with a fish slice so that the custard comes halfway up the bread triangles. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the custard is just set and the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with butterscotch and custard.

Butterscotch Sauce
*2 oz unsalted butter
* 2 oz light muscovado sugar (brown sugar with a strong molasses flavor. I use dark brown sugar.)
* 2 tbsp pouring golden syrup or clear honey
* 2 tbsp double cream

Place the butter in a small pan with the sugar and golden syrup or honey. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and use immediately or transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely. If keeping for any length of time, up to one week is fine, cover with cling film and store in the fridge. (If stored in the fridge you will have to reheat this.)

Custard
* 1 pint milk
* 6 egg yolks
* 3 tbsp caster sugar
* few drops vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

Bring the milk to scalding point in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar and vanilla. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture.

Wipe out the pan and pour in the egg mixture, then cook, stirring constantly, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the custard thickens. Do not let it boil or it will curdle and watch out for the froth: when it begins to disappear from the surface, the custard is starting to thicken. Pour into a serving jug and serve at once or leave to cool, then cover with cling film and store in the fridge covered with cling film for up to two days.