Bread and butter pudding (and "that's outrageous" bread and peanut butter pudding souffle)

Bread and butter pudding was the first dish requested when I escaped was discharged from the hospital. It’s easy, and is a good way to use up bread that might just be past its best.



While the milk and cream was heating up, I couldn’t quite stop myself spreading another couple of pieces of bread with butter. And then, as if by magic, I found myself reaching for the peanut butter.



And then the chocolate chips.



I love the salty sweet peanut butter and chocolate combination. Surely adding cinnamon, custard and nutmeg would be a good thing?



It was. A Very Good Thing. Indeed.



I just had to mention this tasty triumph to my mother. “That’s outrageous” she trilled down the ‘phone.



“I suppose it does sound rather good,” she added a bit later.



When cooked, the peanut butter creation puffed itself out of its ramekin like a souffle. A touch of peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips transforms the shy, shrinking violet bread and butter pudding into a taste explosion.



Ingredients (modified from this original recipe)
Butter for greasing)
8 slices of bread cut into triangles (no crusts), buttered on one side
2 oz sultanas
2 tsp cinnamon powder
12 fl oz milk
2 fl oz double cream
1 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
Grated nutmeg

For “that’s outrageous” bread and peanut butter pudding souffle, cut the buttered bread into discs the same size as your ramekins with a cookie cutter. Spread with peanut butter. Follow the standard recipe, substituting the chocolate chips for raisins.



Grease a (2 pint) pie dish (or ramekins) and arrange a layer of bread (buttered side up) in the bottom.



Sprinkle with raisins and cinnamon, and then cover with another layer of bread (buttered side up again).



Continue until you have run out of bread. Next, whisk together the eggs and 3/4 oz sugar in a bowl.



Mix the milk and cream together in a saucepan and heat gently to scalding point (82 C/180 F – or when the surface starts to get filmy just before it boils). Make sure it doesn’t boil.



Add the milk and cream to the egg and sugar and mix well before straining the mixture (now custard!) into a jug. Pour the custard over the pudding and top with grated nutmeg and the remaining sugar. Leave to stand for half an hour before baking at 180 C/355 F for about another half an hour, until the top is golden and the custard has set. (If using ramekins, cooking time will be slightly shorter so check after about a quarter of an hour.)