BN Cuisine With Chef Fregz: Inspired by James Martin

Salut a Touts! It’s so good to be here again. I look forward to Fridays because of you guys.

Today’s post is inspired by two things: Stale bread and the decadence of white chocolate. A while ago I had watched James Martin on BBC food do an updated Bread and Butter pudding by using croissants. He jazzed up the custard with some melted white chocolate. So a few days ago I was walking past the chocolate aisle at Oasis supermarket and they had white chocolate and I thought “FINALLY!” SO this post was the perfect excuse to do something with it.
I wanted to do something easy, sweet but some what “bougie” if you may. Something that anyone could do and feel like they just pulled a Julia Child on their family.

The classic bread and butter pudding requires regular sliced or whatever bread that was buttered generously and steeped in a nice custard and baked in the even with some raisins and enjoyed hot or cold.
So in honor of James Martin, we’re going to have the Chef Fregz version of the Bread & Butter Pudding.

What you need

8 croissants
1 cup full cream or semi skimmed milk
1/2 cup cream
4 tablespoons sugar
400g white chocolate (I used Lindt any other would do)
2 small bars of White Toblerone broken into small pieces
3 eggs
1/2 cup Whiskey
1 tsp vanilla essence or half a vanilla pod scrapped
1 tsp butterscotch flavouring
1/4 cup almonds chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional or just use more raspberry jam)
3 tablespoons of raspberry jam

How to

Slice through the croissants and set aside.

In jug or bowl mix the cream, the vanilla, butterscotch and set aside.

Over some boiling water place the white chocolate in a stainless steel bowl to melt it. Watch it so it doesn’t burn then add the milk and cream mixture.Add the whiskey then mix till combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl mix the sugar with the eggs then add to the milk cream mixture.

In an oven proof dish. Brush the bread generously with butter and lay the bottom halves of the croissants that you would spread with the jam. Sprinkle over some almonds, dried cranberries(if your using) & Toblerone pieces.

Pour over half of the mixture on the bottom halves. Cover with the top halves and sprinkle the rest of the garnishes over the top then finish by pouring over the leftover mix all over the top and press slightly for the bread to soak up all the custard.

Place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius and bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.

You’ll know it’s done when you move the dish and it seems slightly set with just a slight wobble to it. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

The pudding gets more set as it cools. The top should be crusty and plain awesome.

I recommend you serve with some unsweetened whipped cream and some caramel syrup. I know I sound almost hypocritical by saying unsweetened cream and caramel syrup but that’s what I did and it was just right. In the case you don’t have caramel syrup, good old maple syrup is there for you.

I find this recipe to be just sweet enough. If you find that it could be sweeter or less sweet just reduce the sugar you put in it. The chocolate and jam add a good level of sweetness. So remember to go easy.

This serves about six to eight people depending on the serving size, it could serve more. However the pudding almost didn’t last long when Obi Somto and I were done with well “almost” half of it.

Many Thanks to one of my best people and photographers alive. Obi Somto for the pictures. Visit his website here. www.obisomto.net

Try this and comfort your loved one or ones with it this weekend.

A Bientôt!!