Queen of Puddings

I pint (570 ml) milk
4 oz (110 g) fresh white breadcrumbs (actually, they don't need to be fully crumbed, just broken up into small pieces)
½ oz (10 g) butter
2 oz (50 g) caster (fine white) sugar, plus a little for topping
The zest of one lemon
2 eggs, separated
3 level tablespoons raspberry jam (that's with seeds) Other jams or jellies could be used, but would not have the traditional flavour blend

Preheat the oven to 350o F (180 o C). Butter a 1½ (850 ml) oval or similar pie-dish.

Heat the milk to boiling in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the butter, bread pieces, half of the sugar and the zest. Fork through well to break up the bread. Leave for 20 minutes to swell the breadcrumbs and cool the milk. Check that there are no lumps. Beat the egg-yolks and stir them into the crumb mixture, pour it into the pie-dish and spread it out evenly. Bake it in the centre of the oven for 30-35 mins or until set.

Melt the jam over a low heat. When the pudding is ready, remove from the oven and spread the jam over it.

Beat the egg-whites until stiff and whisk in the remaining sugar. Spread the meringue over the pudding, pulling it up into little peaks. Dredge a little sugar over it all. Replace the pudding in the oven and bake for 10-15 mins until golden brown. Serve hot.

Chocolate Pudding

This recipe needs to be slow cooked, though it could be adapted to be cooked in a waterbath as other custard-type dishes could be. It can either be cooked for 8 hours in a souffle dish on a trivet in water in a slow cooker, or on the top shelf of an oven at its lowest setting, over 180o F (82 o C), under 200o F (93 o C). Butter the souffle dish, and keep the buttered paper for covering the pudding.

3 rounded tablespoons chocolate powder
16 fl oz (400 ml) milk
2½ oz (63 g) white bread, broken up
1 tablespoon (15 ml) caster sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon (2.5 g) vanilla extract (or you could use vanilla sugar above)

You could add orange zest, coffee, or substitute a little of the milk with a liqueur

Mix the chocolate powder and milk in a small saucepan and stir over a gentle heat to blend. Add the bread and sugar and cook for a couple of minutes, breaking up the bread well. Allow to cool. Add the egg and vanilla and beat vigorously with a wire whisk or electric mixer. Pour the mixture into the souffle dish and cover with the buttered paper. Cook as above for 8 hours or until fully set. Turn out onto a dish and serve hot or cold with cream, soft custard, or whatever seems good. It is surprisingly rich and chocolatey, a bit more like a mousse than you might expect. If you don't use the butter paper, but cover it with a lid clear of the mixture, you can serve it in the dish.

Penny