Bread and Butter Pudding with Challah

I made some Challah the other day, which is a Jewish bread a little like brioche and I love it. As there were two of us and one large bread I decided to use half of it on a bread and butter pudding which is really quick to make.

Ingredients:

5 slices of brioche or challah
50g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
3 medium egg yolks
1 vanilla pod
80-100g sultanas (I ended up chucking a load in because I like them)
300ml semi-skimmed milk
300ml single cream
50g butter

Equipment:

26cm pie dish

Serves 6 (or 2 greedy people over 2 days)

Here is the challah I made, my plaiting did not go too well but for a first, I think it could have been worse.

First pour half the sultanas into the pie dish and then butter both sides of the bread.

Arrange the slices into the dish and sprinkle the rest of the sultanas on top.

Put the milk, cream, eggs, yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds from the pod into a large bowl and mix all together, and then pour over the bread.

Quick change of pie dish as I used the wrong one....and it should look like this:

Push the bread into the custard to make sure it is soaked through, then leave the dish on the side for half and an hour.

When ready, preheat your oven to 150°C or gas mark 2 and pop in for 30 minutes or until the custard has set. If you find the custard has set before browning, put under the grill for a couple of minutes for colour.

Eat while warm and serve with some cream or ice cream. Both of which we forgot to buy more of....

Portuguese Custard Tarts

Portuguese custard tarts = morish nomness. I did not do my own puff pastry (slaps hand), because I did not have the time but I do want to try it!
I decided to make six little tarts and one big one as my muffin tin only holds six. I was a little impatient so reuse the same tin so also used a six inch loose bottom sandwich tin as well.

Ingredients:

500g puff pastry
50ml full-fat milk
2 tbsp cornflour
250ml double cream
300ml crème fraîche
135g granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cinnamon stick
Zest of 1 lemon
8 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment:

Whisk
Muffin tin

Makes about 26

First, preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C and prepare your muffin tin with a light coat of vegetable oil/butter. Next, roll out the pastry onto a slightly floured surface so it is thin, about the thickness of a pound coin. Remember the pastry will puff up so it should not be rolled too thick.
Cut out circles to fill your muffin tin and place the pastry in. It does not need to be really neat because they look more homely when a little rough around the edges.
Now prick the bottom with a fork a few times and pop the tray into the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up.

Once the pastry has firmed pop it in the oven for 10 or so minutes until its starts to puff up and brown a little. When they come out, you will need to pat them back down a bit to make room for the filling. Now turn the oven up to gas mark 8/230°C.

Over a medium heat put the cream, crème fraîche, salt, sugar, zest and cinnamon stick in a pan. Allow it to heat through so the sugar dissolves, don't let it boil.

Once done slowly pour into the egg mixture while whisking. It is important to keep whisking so you do not get scrambled eggs. When all in, pour back into the pan over a medium heat (do not let it boil) and keep stirring. After a few minutes it should start to thicken at which point take it off the heat.

Now pour the custard into the pastry cases and put back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the tops have browned a little. I probably could have been a little braver and left them in for a few more minutes to brown more than I did.

When done take out the oven and leave on the side for 10 minutes. Then take them out the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Once cool stuff your face.