Rum, Raisin and Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

By:Isabella Arbizo

Staff Writer

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins
• ½ cup dark rum
• 8 large croissants, torn into large pieces

• ⅓ cup chocolate buds (milk or dark)
• 2 cups milk
• 600ml cream
• pinch of salt
• 2 vanilla beans, split
• 10 free-range eggs
• 8 tbsp caster sugar
• icing sugar, to dust
• double cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Directions

1. Place raisins in a small bowl. Pour rum over fruit and set aside at room temperature for several hours or overnight. Drain raisins, reserving rum.

2. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease an ovenproof dish – square or round – at least 5cm deep and about 25cm across.

3. Place a layer of croissant pieces in the base, sprinkle with raisins and chocolate and add another layer of croissant, then raisins and chocolate and so on. Reserve a handful of raisins and chocolate to sprinkle on top.

4. Bring milk, cream, salt, vanilla beans and reserved rum to the boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and discard vanilla beans. Set aside.

5. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together, then slowly pour in milk mixture, whisking constantly. Carefully pour custard over croissant layers, sprinkle with reserved raisins and chocolate and bake for 1 hour, or until custard is just set.

6. Dust with icing sugar and serve with double cream or ice-cream.