Bread & Butter Pudding

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 3 pint dish with butter

2. Remove the crusts and butter the bread.

3. Whisk the egg yolks and the 6 oz caster suger in a bowl together

4. Split the vanilla pod and put in a pan with the milk and cream, then bring to a simmer and pour onto the egg yolks, stirring all the time. 
   Remove the vanilla pod, scraping the seeds into the custard and discard the pod

5. Cut a quarter of the bread into 1/2 inch cubes and place in the bottom of the dish. Then top with the raisins adding the juices too. Finish with the remaining bread cut into triangles and arranged on top of the raisins

6. Pour the warm egg mixture over the bread making sure all of the bread is coated.
   Leave to soak into the bread for 20 minutes

7. Place in the oven in a roasting tray 3/4 full of hot water. Cook for about 30 minutes. It will only set like custard because of using egg yolks and no whites

8. Remove from the oven and roasting tray and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Then put under the grill until the sugar starts to caramelize

9. To serve: Sprinkle with the toasted flaked Almonds and dust with icing sugar. You can serve it with lavender ice cream and a compote of berries – and lots of heavy cream of course.

   WINE PAIRING:  Champagne  - Tokaji Aszu 

   Recipe by Darren McGrady - The Royal Chef, he was personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and Princes’ William and Harry for fifteen years and has cooked for five US Presidents. He is now a chef, author, culinary consultant, event planner and public speaker living in Dallas, Texas.

   His first cookbook titled ‘Eating Royally; recipes and remembrances from a palace kitchen’ is now in fifth print with all of his advance and royalties donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation