Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

About Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding

This original recipe is from Larkin Warren, a wonderful American chef, and adapt by Delia Smith, the author of The Delia Collection – Chocolate. It is quite simply one of the most brilliant hot puddings ever invented. It’s so simple but so good – and even better prepared two days in advance. Serve in small portions because it is very rich.


About dark rum

Dark Rum, also known as black rum, classes as a grade darker than gold rum. It is generally aged longer, in heavily charred barrels. Dark rum has a much stronger flavour than either light or gold rum, and hints of spices can be detected, along with a strong molasses or caramel overtone. It is used to provide substance in rum drinks, as well as color. In addition to uses in mixed drinks, dark rum is the type of rum most commonly used in cooking.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

150 gm / 5 oz dark chocolate with 70-75% cocoa solids
9 slices, each 5 mm / ¼ inch thick, good-quality white bread, one day old, taken from a large loaf
75 gm / 3 oz butter
425 ml / 15 fl oz whipping cream
4 tablespoons dark rum
110 gm / 4 oz golden caster sugar
a good pinch of cinnamon
3 large eggs

To serve

double cream, well chilled


1. Lightly buttered a shallow, ovenproof dish, 18 X 23 cm / 7 X 9 inches, and 5 cm / 2 inches deep.

2. Remove the crusts from the slices of bread, which should leave you with 9 pieces about 10 cm / 4 inches square. Cut each slice into 4 triangles.

3. Place the chocolate, butter, whipping cream, rum, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

4. Wait until the butter and chocolate have melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.

5. Remove the bowl from the heat and give it a really good stir to amalgamate all the ingredients.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and then pour the chocolate mixture over them and whisk again very thoroughly to blend them together.

7. Spoon about a 1 cm / ½ inch layer of the chocolate mixture into the base of the dish.

8. Arrange half the bread triangles over the chocolate in overlapping rows.

9. Pour half the remaining chocolate mixture all over the bread as evenly as possible.

10. Arrange the rest of the triangles over that, finishing off with a layer of chocolate.

11. Use a fork to gently press the bread down so that it gets covered very evenly with the liquid as it cools.

12. Cover the dish with clingfilm and allow to stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

13. Transfer to the fridge for a minimum of 24 (but preferably 48) hours before cooking.

14. When you’re ready to cook the pudding, pre-heat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºF.

15. Remove the clingfilm and bake in the oven on a high shelf for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top will be crunchy and the inside soft and squidgy.

16. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving with well-chilled double cream.

**From “The Delia Collection Chocolate” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **

http://www.dessert.net.au/chocolate-bread-and-butter-pudding/