CHRISTMAS BREAD PUDDING

I must confess that as a child, if we were ever fortunate enough to have the opportunity to select a cake from the cake shop, I would quite often opt for the bread pudding.  Mainly because it appeared to be the largest cake available.  I realise now that it was probably a great money spinner for the bakers giving them a new lease of life for the unsold stale bread.

Bread pudding is a proper comfort food with its warming spices and stodgy texture and perfect for this time of year.  I made some after our halloween party when we had lots of hotdog rolls left over and it reminded me of christmas pudding so I thought I'd take it a step further and give it a bit more yule tide pimping.  So here we have my christmas bread pudding which we ate warm with cream and custard. I think it tastes like christmas but a lot quicker to make than the usual pudding.

1 Litre Milk
130g Sugar
300g Dried Cranberries
200g Sultanas
75g Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Mixed Spice
Zest of 1 Orange
1 tsp Orange Extract
700g Bread (made into bread crumbs)
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar
40g Flaked Almonds
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar


Butter a large baking dish (30cm x 20cm).  Heat the oven to 160C fan

Warm the milk in a large pan with the sugar, cranberries, sultanas, butter, cinnamon, mixed spice, orange zest and extract.  Heat till the buyer has melted then pour in the bread crumbs and stir till combined.  Now mix in the eggs.

Tip the mixture into the baking dish and gently spread it out evenly.  Don't squash it, you want a rough top with texture.  Scatter the flaked almonds and Demerara sugar on top and cover the whole dish in foil.  Bake for 40 minutes then remove the foil and give it another 15 minutes uncovered.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle immediately with granulated sugar.

CHRISTMAS BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

A few years ago now I entered the Women's Institute Cook of the Year Competition, it was in November and entrants had to create an alternative Christmas menu.  It was to be judged by Brian Turner and I had to cook the meal in front of an audience at the Good Food Show in Birmingham.

It was all very daunting but the most difficult part for me was coming up with something that could top trifle or Christmas pudding.  as far as I'm concerned they are the puddings you have on December 25th and they should not be messed with.  In the end I thought about what Brian might like and decided he's quite a traditional man with very classic taste.

My dessert was this Christmas bread and butter pudding made with mince meat and a touch of advocaat in the custard for and added yule tide touch.  It's so very comforting and cosy, he loved it.

45g Butter
8 White Bread Slices
360g Mincemeat
300g Milk
50g Double Cream
50g Advocaat
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Sugar
Cinnamon to Dust

Use some of the butter to grease the base and sides of a 2 pint oven proof dish.

Use the remaining butter to spread over the slices of bread.  Divide the mincemeat into 4 and make sandwiches with it.  Remove the crusts and cut the sandwiches into 1/4's then place them into your buttered dish.

In a jug, whisk together the milk, cream, Advocaat and eggs then pour it over the bread.  Sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon and leave to stand for 30 minutes.  This will allow the custard to soak into the bread.

Bake in the oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes till set, brown and crunchy on top.

My winning pudding, thanks Brian Xx