The Ultimate Makeover Sponge Pudding Custard Recipes

CUSTARD PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form around sides of pan. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Remove milk from heat; stir a small amount of hot milk into egg mixture. Return all to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in extracts., Transfer to nine 4-oz. ramekins. Place cups in a baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to pan. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until center is just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove ramekins from water bath; cool 10 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled.

LEMON OR ORANGE SPONGE CUSTARD (PUDDING)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Butter a loaf pan (not PAM, use butter) or ramekins.
• Cream butter, sugar, fruit rind.
• Add egg yolks and beat well.
• Stir in flour.
• Add fruit juice and milk alternately (add a little juice and mix; then add a little milk and mix, and repeat until liquid all gone).
• Fold in beaten egg whites.
• Pour into baking dish.
• Place baking dish in larger pan with about 1" water.
• Carefully place in oven; water will slosh about, so move slowly.
• Bake about 45 minutes for ramekins (I have not used ramekins, so check often) or 1 hour for loaf pan. Adjust oven temperature if top is browning too fast. REMOVE FROM OVEN VERY CAREFULLY OR YOU WILL SLOSH BOILING WATER ON YOU.
• Serve warm or cold.
• The recipe says it can be served with a raspberry sauce (I suppose just for the lemon). I have not done this, as it is scrumptious all on its own.
• Serves 4 generous portions; 6 if you just want to tease everyone.

MICROWAVE SPONGE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and milk gradually, so as not to curdle the butter. Sift in the flour, and fold in gently. Transfer to a 1 pint microwave-safe bowl.
• Cover, and cook for 3 1/2 minutes on full powder, or until the pudding appears set when gently jiggled, and the top is sticky. Serve hot.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

Steps:

• Put the apricots and raisins in a small dish, pour over the brandy and leave to soak, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, beat the egg and sugar together in a medium bowl, then whisk in the custard powder with a balloon whisk until smooth. Warm the milk in a small non-stick saucepan; then, when it's just coming up to a boil, remove from the heat and slowly stir into the egg mixture. Scrape in the vanilla seeds, drop in the pared lemon zest and vanilla pod and set aside to cool and infuse for 30 mins.
• Whisk the crème fraîche into the cooled milk. Strain this custard through a sieve into a jug. Using ¼ tsp butter from the 25g, very lightly butter a shallow ovenproof dish, about 20 x 25 x 4.5cm.
• Butter the bread on one side only with the rest of the butter, then spread over the conserve or jam. Cut each slice into 4 triangles, then lay half the triangles, jam side up, in the dish. Scatter over half the apricots and raisins, then lay the rest of the bread over the top, again jam side up. Scatter over the rest of the dried fruit and any unsoaked brandy, then pour half the custard over the bread. Leave to soak for 15 mins. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Sit the dish in a roasting tin. Pour the rest of the custard over the bread, press the bread lightly into the custard then half fill the roasting tin with hot water. Bake for 20 mins, then raise the heat to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and bake for a further 5-10 mins until the bread on top is crisp and golden. Remove and let the pudding sit for 2-3 mins. Sift over the icing sugar and serve warm.