pudding for main course

I love bread and butter pudding.  If there was no other pudding on earth I would be content.  I can take queen of puddings at a pinch, but find the breadcrumb base a bit namby-pamby compared to the thick crusts of a hearty bread and butter pudding.

So for supper the night before we left for our trip to the deep south of London and Brighton we had this.

Savoury bread and butter pudding, or more honestly fridge bits bread and butter pudding.  It was quite as delicious as it looks.

I don’t like to leave stuff in the fridge to go off whilst we are away.  So armed with:

• an elderly sour dough loaf
• butter (homemade no less)
• tomatoes
• half a red onion
• milk
• an open tin of anchovies
• an open jar of tomato jam (from the Azores, keep an eye open for it, it’s very good)
• the heel of an elderly chunk of strong cheddar
• 3 eggs
• an open jar of dijon mustard
• an open jar of olives
• an open jar of capers

I created a main course from my perfect pudding.  This made a hearty meal for two hungry people (one had been fishing all day).

There is no real recipe, it’s a make do and mend meal, as long as you have the basic ingredients (bread, butter, milk, eggs) it’s not unlike making a pizza, add what you have/like until you are content with the balance.

1. Slice the bread thickly, I always keep the crusts on.  Spread with butter and tomato jam (you could use chutney or leave plain).
2. Slice and soften the red onion in olive oil over a low heat for a few minutes.
3. Beat the eggs into about 400ml of milk.
4. Add 1-2 tbsp of mustard to the milk mixture and beat in well.
5. Layer the bread and the rest of the ingredients in a greased oven proof dish.
6. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and leave to soak in for 10 minutes or so.

7.  Grate the cheddar over the top.

8.  Bake in a medium oven (180C) for 30 minutes until the top is golden and crusty.

You could serve with a lovely crisp green salad, or you could be greedy and lazy like us and just eat a great big dollop on its own!

I don’t make any claim to this as  my own invention, there are varieties of bread and butter pudding all over the internet, but this was particularly delicious and cleared out our fridge as well as filling up our tummies!

Love Gillie x