Edward Entertains: Pain au Chocolat Bread & Butter Pudding

Bread and butter pudding is something that is synonymous with so many households all over the country and it’s the type of dish that our mothers used to make.

This week’s recipe is a simple twist on a classic dish. My reason for the twist is that I am not a lover of dried fruit (sultanas, currants, etc.) so I set about making a bread and butter pudding without them!

After lots of recipe tweaks, I think I now have a fabulous recipe for a sultana-free pudding. This is a wonderful treat to take out of the oven after the traditional Sunday roast and, because it is so simple to make, that just adds to the appeal.

Obviously, feel free to vary the recipe as suits yourself – think about adding any dried fruits, cranberries, sweet mincemeat, caramel, tinned black cherries, etc., to it for varied and interesting results.

Experiment in your kitchen – that’s where the fun is!

RECIPE

• 8 pain au chocolat
• 5oz/150g caster sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 18floz/500ml milk
• 3 & 1/2 floz/100ml pouring cream
• 6oz/175g dark chocolate –chopped into chunks
• 2oz/50g pistachios – shelled and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

METHOD

• Halve the pain au chocolat and spread lightly with a little softened butter.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
• Put the milk and cream into a large saucepan and heat gently (almost to the boil).
• Layer the pan de gene in a 9 or 10-inch oven proof dish sprinkling some of dark chocolate between each layer, ensuring that it is divided equally between each layer.
• You should end up with two or three layers of pain au chocolat altogether, with the chocolate scattered in between each.
• Break the 5 eggs into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and beat together until
• combined.
• Add the cinnamon to the eggs and sugar and pour the boiled milk and cream over the egg mixture and whisk well until combined. Slowly, pour all of this mixture over the pastries and butter and allow it to stand for about 10 minutes to allow the milk to infuse into the buttered pastries.
• Put into the oven and bake for 40 minutes until the pudding is well risen and almost set to the touch.
• When the pudding comes from the oven, it will be well risen. Sprinkle with icing sugar and scatter the chopped pistachios on top of the pudding and then serve with some delicious custard and whipped cream.