Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I like to pull the stops out a bit at the weekend and bake a treat for my husband. To be honest, I don't bake much during the week because it gets in my mouth too easily and I need to really watch it.
My husband shouldn't be punished for my transgressions however, so at the weekend, I always like to do something special for him.
He really loves the Bakewell Tarts you can buy in the shop. Small short crust pastry tarts filled with jam and an almond sponge and then topped with a sicky sweet icing and half of a glace cherry.
They really are sweet however . . . and nothing tastes better than homemade anything, so this week I decided to bake him some Bakewell Slices, which closely resemble the tart but I think are a lot nicer.
Bakewell is a town in the Peak District here in the UK.
It is located on the River Rye and is quite well known for its traditional and original Bakewell pudding, which boasts a pastry base topped with jam and an almond custard.
And then there is the Bakewell Tart, which is similar. The pudding uses Puff Pastry and the tart . . . short crust pastry.
The pudding has a custard topping and the tart . . . an almond cake topping.
Both are equally as delicious. My recipe today favours the tart in that it has an almond cake topping
The pastry is a very simple short crust pastry. You will want enough to fill a 12 by 9 inch traybake tin.
I roll it out fairly thin and bring it 1/2 inch up the sides. (I hate it when jam touches the sides of a tin and sticks. It is much easier to remove the finished bake if jam hasn't baked onto the tin.)
This is the tin I use. It has a bottom which slides out, which makes it really easy to remove the cake.
You spread the jam over top of the pastry base. You want to be somewhat generous with it, in that you want the jam not to be lost in everything else.
The base is not sweet in the least and so a nice layer of jam is a must.
I use raspberry jam, but some people prefer strawberry jam. Both are equally as delicious.
A simple almond sponge batter is spooned over top of the jam. It can be a bit fiddly to spread this batter out.
What works for me is to dollop the cake batter over top of the jam in small dollops all over. Then I just spread it out with the back of a spoon.
I then use a fingertip to make sure it gets right to the edge of the pastry.
The top is covered with a nice layer of flaked almonds. They toast while the cake is baking to a lovely golden brown.
Yum . . . I do so love toasted almonds.
To finish them off I have drizzled a thick almond drizzle over top. Not as sicky sweet as the tarts that you buy, but just perfect.
It dresses them up nicely and adds just a hint of sweet on an already perfect slice. You can of course leave this off entirely!
Yield: Makes 24
Bakewell Slice
prep time: 15 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 40 mins
A beautiful slice/square perfect for enjoying with a nice hot cuppa. Do be generous with the jam. No need to line the baking pan with paper as the pastry will not stick. You will need a 12 by 9 inch tray bake tin or roasting tin. (Mine has a removable bottom)
ingredients:
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 175g plain flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 75g butter (6 TBS)
- 2 - 3 TBS cold water
For the sponge mixture:
- 100g butter softened (scant half cup)
- 100g caster sugar (1/2 cup + 1 TBS)
- 175g self raising flour (1 1/4 cups)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 large free range eggs
- 2 TBS whole milk
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
To finish:
- 4 heaped TBS raspberry jam
- flaked almonds to sprinkle
instructions:
- First make the pastry. Measure the flour into a bowl. Add th butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the cold water gradually, mixing together with a fork to form a soft dough.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle the size of your baking tin. Use this to ine the tin. ( I like it to come about 1/2 inch up the sides.)
- Measure all of the sponge ingredients into a bowl and beat together well until smooth.
- Spoon the jam into the pastry lined tin and spread it out with the back of a spoon. Dollop the cake batter over top and spread it out to cover the jam. (I find this easiest to do it in small dollops all over and then spread it out right to the pastry edge with the back of a clean spoon and finally my finger tip at the end.) Sprinkle flaked almonds over top to cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the centre and is golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin before cutting into slices to serve.
- I often drizzle an almond drizzle icing over top. Whisk together 65g/1/2 cup of icing sugar with a few drops of vanilla extract and just enough milk to give you a thick drizzle. Flick it over the top decoratively.
Created using The Recipes Generator
These really are nice and go down wonderfully with a nice hot cuppa.
I can't think of a better way to enjoy a break on a weekend afternoon, than a hot drink and one of these as I sit at the table with paper and pencil, looking out at the garden and pondering my plans for it in the coming months.
At the weekend I like to cook the man something a bit heftier for his breakfast rather than his usual Oats or Wheatabix. I've never had him complain.
When I first moved over here we used to pop into Chester often on a Saturday morning and treat ourselves to an all-day breakfast . . . .
Bacon, sausage . . . eggs any way you wanted them . . . grilled tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms . . . hash browns, black pudding (only if you liked it) and beautiful crisp fried bread . . . oh, I so loved the fried bread.
Thick slices of white bread that's been fried in fat until crisp . . . oh, it is sooo good.
They closed down the local BHS a few years back, so no more Saturday breakfasts . . . Oh, I know we could get one easily somewhere else, but there was just something about the BHS, and they were the only ones I knew that served fried bread.
I'll tell you something however . . . those full breakfasts don't hold a patch to these Crispy Tortilla Eggs! They are phenomenal!
Buttery crisp tortilla topped with a fried egg and cheese . . . and garnishes . . .
You start off by frying the egg . . . . just until the white is opaque, season it and flip the egg over . . . carefully so the yolk doesn't break.
I only ever use large free range organic eggs, and if they are RSPCA approved so much the better. I refuse to support an industry that is in-humane if I can help it.
Once you have flipped the egg, quickly sprinkle it with a tablespoon of cheese and a 6 inch tortilla . . .
Leave it until the cheese melts and helps the tortilla to stick to the egg and then carefully flip it over so you can fry that tortilla in the pan drippings . . . it only takes about a minute for it to get lovely and crisp.
Crisp and buttery . . . after that you turn the heat out, top with a bit more cheese and pop on a lid so that the cheese can melt.
Slide that baby onto a heated plate and top with some hot sauce and spring onions . . . I like to use a combination of Sriracha sauce and green Tabasco. Just a drizzle of each . . .
Fabulously tasty . . . FABULOUSLY!!
Yield: 1
Crispy Tortilla Eggs
You can make as many or as few of these as you want. Simple ingredients put together in a spectacular way. NOM NOM!
ingredients:
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/4 tsp seasoning salt
- 2 TBS grated cheddar or Jack cheese
- 1 (15cm) flour tortilla (6 inch)
Toppings:
- chopped spring onions
- hot sauce (I used Sriracha and Green Tabasco)
instructions:
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Crack in the egg. Sprinkle with the seasoning salt. Cook until the whites are set. Carefully flip over. Sprinkle with 1 TBS cheese. Immediately top with the tortilla. Cook until the cheese melts (won't take long). Carefully flip back over until the egg is on top and the tortilla is on the bottom. Cook for about a minute. Sprinkle on the remaining TBS cheese. Remove from the heat and pop on a lid. Leave til the cheese melts.
- Slide onto a heated plate and top with some hot sauce and the spring onions. Serve immediately.
NOTES:
Note - I like these with a softly cooked egg, but if your family prefers them firmer, just let the egg cook for a bit longer.
Created using The Recipes Generator
These are so, so, SO good. I had planned on only making one for Todd, but it was so delicious, I ended up eating it and then had to make him another one. I know. Me <====== willpower.
We had a lovely lunch at our friend's Tina and Tony on Thursday. Tina is an excellent cook, and also used to cook for a living like I did. I love going there for lunch. Aside from the wonderful food, I know we are going to enjoy some great companionship with two people we really love to spend time with.
Our meal was really lovely (no surprise)! We feasted on Beef Pot Roast, roasted potatoes, carrots, string beans and cauliflower cheese. It was all very tasty. (It always is!)
She actually had two desserts. One was a slimming world friendly Jelly Dessert with fruit, and the other was this fabulous Vanilla Sauced Bread Pudding!
She very graciously shared the recipe with me so that I could share it with you and here it is. Twenty four hours later I was making it for Todd, that's how good it was and how much we enjoyed it! High accolades indeed!
I just happened to have a stale French stick that needed using up, so it all seemed to be meant to be. I have a box of diet food arriving today, that I will be trialing a new Diet Plan all next week, so I wanted to get any desserts out of the way and out of the house before then!
This really is a fabulous pudding and very simple to make. Its basically just bread, milk, butter, sugar and eggs, with some vanilla and nutmeg for seasoning.
Here's a handy tip if you are like me and grate your own fresh nutmeg. I always end up with little bits from the ends of the nutmegs, which I have always been afraid to grate on my micro plane. I don't relish the idea of grated knuckles or finger tips.
What I do now is to save up a bunch of the ends until I have a few and then I grind them in my Cook House Coffee/Spice grinder. It works a charm! No waste and perfectly ground nutmeg!
Basically you soak the bread and raisins in milk and butter until it softens and then beat in eggs, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg, pour it into a buttered baking dish and bake.
If you are not fond of raisins you could use chocolate chips, or vanilla chips, or dried cherries or cranberries . . . . chopped dried apricots, figs or dates . . . any dried fruit or even mix of dried fruits in the same quantities would work well!
Once the pudding is baked you make a simple vanilla caramel sauce, which goes together in a flash on top of the stove.
I like to pour just a little bit of this on top of the hot pudding when it comes out of the oven . . . it glazes it very nicely.
After that it is ready to be spooned out into bowls . . . with some more of the sauce on the side . . .
ready to pour over each serving . . . mmm . . . .
This is so, so, soooooo good . . .
The pudding is a but crisp on the outsides, but soft and unctuously moreish on the insides . . . studded with sticky raisins . . .
This is wonderful just as is with just more of the sauce spooned over top . . . or with some pouring cream or warm custard . . . the North American in me would enjoy this with cold vanilla ice cream! The glutton in me would enjoy it with anything, or even nothing at all! 😉
Yield: 8
Vanilla Sauced Bread Pudding
prep time: 15 minscook time: 45 minstotal time: 60 mins
This delicious bread pudding was served at my friend Tina's the other day. She was gracious enough to share the recipe with us. Serve on it's own with more of the sauce poured over top, along with cream, warm custard or even vanilla ice cream if you wish!
ingredients:
240g stale white bread, cut into cubes (4 cups, or 8 thick slices)
75g raisins (1/2 cup)
480ml whole milk (2 cups)
60g butter (1/4 cup)
95g sugar (1/2 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten lightly
1 TBS vanilla
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
For the sauce:
120g butter (1/2 cup)
95g sugar (1/2 cup)
100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup, packed)
120ml heavy cream (1/2 cup whipping cream)
1 TBS vanilla
To serve: (optional)
pouring cream, warm custard sauce, or vanilla ice creaminstructions:
Put the milk for the pudding in the microwave along with the
butter. Heat just to melt the butter. Put the cubed bread into a large
bowl along with the raisins. Pour the milk/butter mixture over top,
pressing down to submerge completely. Let stand for 10 minutes.
butter. Heat just to melt the butter. Put the cubed bread into a large
bowl along with the raisins. Pour the milk/butter mixture over top,
pressing down to submerge completely. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Preheat
the oven to 180*c/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a large shallow casserole
dish. (1 1/2 litre/1 1/2 Qt) Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla into the
bread mixture along with the nutmeg. Pour into the prepared baking
dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes until just set in
the centre.
the oven to 180*c/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a large shallow casserole
dish. (1 1/2 litre/1 1/2 Qt) Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla into the
bread mixture along with the nutmeg. Pour into the prepared baking
dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes until just set in
the centre.
Measure the butter, both sugars
and cream into a saucepan. Cover over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Remove
from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
and cream into a saucepan. Cover over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Remove
from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Spoon a
bit of the sauce over the pudding to cover. Serve warm, spooned into
dessert dishes with the extra sauce on the side to pour over top. Pass
cream or custard if desired, or serve with some vanilla ice cream.
bit of the sauce over the pudding to cover. Serve warm, spooned into
dessert dishes with the extra sauce on the side to pour over top. Pass
cream or custard if desired, or serve with some vanilla ice cream.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I know . . . most bloggers out there are posting diet dishes now, helping you to shed the pounds after all of the holiday excess. I am not one to follow trends. You won't find veganuary on here or any other gimick. I won't pretend to be what I am not. I also don't do New Year's resolutions, but am looking forward to trying this new Diet Plan next week. Thankfully I will still be able to cook for Todd! Happy weekend and Bon Appetit!
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