Bread & Butter Pudding

I've written heaps over the past months about different restaurants, cafes, food opinions etc but haven't referred once to actual recipes.

Throughout my adult life, I have made it a habit to research and specialise in fast cooking. Not fast food cooking, but dishes that you can whip up at the drop of a hat at times you feel least like cooking - like one of those freezing cold dark winter nights when you've just arrived home & the last thing you feel like is cooking.

You go to the fridge, look in. Zilch in there is relatively instant. You get hold of all your takeaway menus for close-ish restaurants/pizza places. Think to yourself: why is it that you can only get home-delivered pizza in Hobart? Can't even be stuffed making the effort to go back out & get takeaway. Don't feel like pizza. Want some real food.

Now what? Well that's where you need a few of those old standby dishes in your repertoire. (Either that or you've had the forethought to cook up extra from previous meals & have frozen it, ready for this very moment in time! Unfortunately, that is the pipe dream we all say we should do but in reality, we don't!)

From today, I am going to give you a few of my oldies bit goodies. Tried and tested recipes from many times and many situations. Loved by all. Impressive to many.

To start the ball rolling, my No-fail Sensational Bread & Butter Pudding.

4 croissants (can be stale)
½ cup castor sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 & ½ cups milk
dark chocolate, broken up into bite-sized bits

Mix together & whisk thoroughly the sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk
Break up the croissants and layer in either a casserole dish or individual soufflé dishes with bits of the broken up chocolate. Fill the containers with this mix then pour over the milk mix. Let it soak in for about ½ hour, then put into a preheated 180 degree oven for about an hour, or till the custard mixture is firm.

I know this is a dessert, not a main, but it's a winner & great for one of those nights when you want hot and sweet and easy. I usually have frozen croissants in the freezer so this is a great way to use them. For an Asian influence/difference, substitute coconut milk for the milk, and use grated palm sugar for the sugar content.