Well, it couldn’t be bread week in November without a bread and butter pudding.
But this one has a little something-something to make it a wintry classic, with a custard infused with nutmeg and cardamom, a spiced apple compote under the bread and butter, and shards of tart apple between the slices. A sprinkle of brown sugar to caramelise the top of the pudding and this is a cold-night-winner. If you’re feeling fancy, a blowtorch to the sugar wouldn’t go amiss.
We ate this with double cream in front of the new adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front and, for that film, a pudding is necessary.
Serves 4-6, depending on appetite
6 green cooking apples
6 slices of bread, halved diagonally
3 eggs
250ml milk
Good grating of nutmeg
1tsp cinnamon
Seeds of 4 cardamom pods, crushed
60g brown sugar
1stp vanilla extract
150ml double cream
30g butter
Grease a baking dish with a small amount of butter and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees fan.
Peel, core and roughly chop 4 of the apples. Core and finely slice the other two.
Butter each slice of bread on one side.
For the apple compote, add a knob of butter to a medium sauce pan. Add half the sugar and the 4 roughly chopped apples. Toss in the cinnamon and cook until the apple is soft, but with some bite.
Warm the milk and cream with the cardamom and nutmeg over a low heat until it’s not boiling – but not far off.
Beat the eggs with half of the remaining sugar until pale, and then slowly add the warm milk and cream, beating constantly.
Strain the custard into a bowl.
Spread the apple compote over the base of the baking dish.
Add the buttered bread in a concertina-style layer over the compote, alternating bread slices with slices of the uncooked apple.
Pour the custard over the bread slices and leave to soak for ten minutes.
Scatter the rest of the sugar over and bake for 30 minutes or until the custard is set.