Bread & Butter Pudding

We're hard at work on the preparation for tomorrow's big dinner (I hadn't factored in the whole "lose an hour" thing when I first started to plan), and hopefully everything will be delicious as usual.  The table is set and looks lovely, a nice combination of tasteful with a touch of whimsy, and the cooking schedule is in place. We are fairly traditional in serving corned beef with mustard sauce, colcannon, vegetables, Irish soda bread and, though I believe it is traditionally an English dish, we serve Bread and Butter Pudding at the end of our St. Patrick's Dinner every year. Simple in appearance, the taste is sublime.  The recipe we use is from Gary Rhodes' book Rhodes Around Britain.  It's the best I've ever had.  It can also be found in the Bon Appetit, May 1998 issue.

Bread & Butter Pudding

 1½ c. whole milk

1½ c. whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

8 large egg yolks

¾ c. plus 2 T. sugar

¼ c. (½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1-lb. loaf white bread, slices cut ½” thick, crusts trimmed

2 T. golden raisins

2 T. brown raisins

Combine milk and whipping cream in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring milk mixture to simmer. Whisk egg yolks and ¾ c. sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into yolk mixture. Set custard aside.

Butter 9” x 9” x 2” glass baking dish. Spread ¼ c. butter over both sides of bread slices. Arrange 1/3 of bread slices in single layer over bottom of prepared dish, trimming to fit. Sprinkle half of golden raisins and half of brown raisins over bread. Cover with another single layer of bread. Sprinkle remaining raisins over. Layer with remaining bread. Discard vanilla bean from custard; pour over bread. Let stand until some custard is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake pudding until custard thickens and begins to set, about 20 minutes.

 Preheat broiler. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over pudding. Broil until sugar browns, rotating baking dish for even browning and watching closely, about 2 minutes. Let pudding cool slightly. Serve warm.

 

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Making Homemade Orange Marmalade

I fell hopelessly in love with orange marmalade during a trip to Scotland in the same way that I fell in love with clotted cream while living in Oxford.  I knew from the first bite of each that they would be permanent fixtures in my kitchen, and I had hoped to one day learn to duplicate these British delicacies.

Inasmuch as I thoroughly enjoy, and am a prolific prolific maker of relishes and chutney, the skill involved in successfully making jams and jellies has always eluded me.  So when I saw this can of Seville oranges at Williams-Sonoma and read the very simple instructions, I knew I had to give it a try.  I was very pleased with the results.  This can makes an excellent and very fresh tasting marmalade reminiscent of what I had each morning in Edinburgh, and the process is astoundingly easy.  A can of Seville oranges, sugar, and a "knob" of butter are all it takes to get wonderful results.

I encourage anyone who loves marmalade the way that I do, but who has always been a bit hesitant to make it, to buy yourself a can of these Seville oranges and plunge right in.  I knew I had it right when my brother-in-law said he disliked this as much as he disliked the Keiller Dundee brand from Scotland.  Success!

Another resolution to check off of my list!  

Of course we had to have the marmalade for breakfast this morning, so I made a batch of Mile High Biscuits in order to try it out. DELICIOUS!

MILE HIGH BISCUITS

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk

Whisk together first five ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and milk; mix until dough forms a ball. Do NOT overmix. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times, only. Roll out to 3/4 inch, cut with a 1-1/2" round floured biscuit cutter. Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

Truly English Savoy Scones

Breakfast served this morning on a plate from The Art of William Hogarth Collection by Williams-Sonoma.

Yesterday, late afternoon, we went to St. Louis Bread Co. (known in different parts of the country as Panera) because I wanted an orange scone and was going to get Jim an "Everything" bagel. I wanted the scone because I still had half a jar of very expensive English clotted cream in the fridge and, having lost an entire jar at one point (got stuck behind the garlic pickles and eggplant chutney), I never wanted that to happen again. When I got there, there was one woman ahead of me and the service counter guy was yakking to her endlessly, making quite a point of ignoring me, as I stood there glaring at him.  When I want an orange scone, I want an ORANGE SCONE, but I digress.



There was only ONE scone (Not an orange one, alas, but wild blueberry that I don't like as well, but will take in a pinch -- orange goes so much better with the clotted cream and strawberry jam, you see. The whole wild blueberry scone/strawberry jam thing just seems wrong, but, yet again, I digress...) and ONE everything bagel left. As I stood there waiting, glancing frantically from the scone to the yakker to the scone and back, a couple came in and they, too, stood there glaring at the pastries, lips trembling, waiting to place an order.


Finally the yakker ambled over to me as the fleet-of-foot barrista, seeing the other couple unattended, ran up to them. As you've probably guessed, the other couple got both my scone and the bagel. I was FURIOUS! I told the yakker that I was there first and it was MY food that they'd just gone off with. He just sort of stared at me then shrugged and wandered off.  Can you say livid?  We're talking scones here, people!  MY scone, in someone else's house!  And probably improperly consumed, i.e. NOT with clotted cream and strawberry jam but perhaps (gasp) with butter or, worse yet, grape jelly! (I  can't stand it!)


Anyway, long story short (or is it too  late?), when I got up this morning there were Savoy Scones (that, BTW, put Bread Co. to SHAME) on the counter under my favorite French linen tea towel. Jim had baked them for me after I went to sleep last night. How's that for an "Awwwwww..." moment?

Here is Anton Edelmann's, maitre chef des cuisines at The Savoy, recipe and our favorite.

SAVOY SCONES

Makes about 8

1-3/4 c flour

4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

5 T unsalted butter cut in small pieces, cold

5 T sugar

1/2 c currants (optional)

2/3 cup milk

1 large egg yolk for glaze

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Work butter and sugar in by hand until it's crumbly.

Make a well in the center and add milk and currants and mix together quickly but don't over mix. Dough will be a bit sticky and rough looking.

On floured surface, roll dough out 3/4" thick and cut into 2-1/2" rounds. You can also just cut into 2-1/2" squares if you don't have a cookie cutter or make two rounds of dough and cut each into four wedges.

Brush tops with egg yolk.

Put on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes. Bake 15 min. until golden. Remove to rack to cool slightly.

(To be authentic you must serve them with clotted cream and strawberry jam.)