Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

irish cake milk/cream dairy egg fruit dessert vanilla rhubarb

Darina Allen

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Source

Ingredients

1 pound red rhubarb

Sugar

4 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted

12 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed

2 cups cream

1 cup milk

4 extra large free-range eggs, beaten lightly

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon extra sugar, for sprinkling on top of pudding

Softly whipped cream

A deep 8-inch square or round baking dish

A water bath or roasting pan

Method

Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Put into a dish and sprinkle with sugar. Let macerate for an hour.

Butter the bread. Arrange four slices, buttered-side down, in one layer in the buttered baking dish. Scatter half the rhubarb over the bread, and cover with another layer of bread, buttered-side down. Scatter the remaining rhubarb on top and cover with the remaining bread, buttered-side down.

Whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer over the bread. Sprinkle the extra spoonful of sugar over the top. Let the mixture stand, covered loosely, for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake in a water bath — the water should be boiling and should come halfway up the sides of the baking dish — in the middle of the preheated oven, for about 1 hour or until the top is crisp and golden. Server the pudding warm, with some softly whipped cream.