Food with JP Passion: Blackberry bread and butter pudding
By JP Kennedy
John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking. His passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef. JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.
My Dad always spoke of his love for Bread and Butter Pudding, something my Nanny Rena always made for them growing up, so when I came across this recipe I said I had to make it for him, and was I glad that I did.
I had previously thought bread and butter pudding to be a stodgy custard-based dessert laced with dried fruits, but this recipe is the omega of bread and butter puddings and uses beautiful autumnal fruits in season – apples and blackberries.
Served with an out-of-this-world whiskey caramel sauce, you are in for the treat of a lifetime and one you will return to over and over again, I promise you.
Ingredients:
- 340g unsalted butter – must be at room temperature – plus a little extra for greasing 10 slices of firm white bread with crusts left on
- 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 80g blackberries
- 5 eggs
- 475ml of double cream
- 200g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
Whiskey Caramel sauce:
- 60ml of Irish whiskey
- 600ml of cream
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 110g of unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and 200g caster sugar
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 200° Celsius and grease a square baking dish.
2. Smear one side of each slice of bread with butter and cut the slices diagonally and arrange half of the bread in the bottom of your baking dish overlapping the slices of bread with slices of apple and blackberries and repeat with the remaining slices of bread and fruits.
3. In a large mixing bowl beat together the eggs, cream, sugar, spices and vanilla to make a delicious custard.
4. Pour the custard over the bread and with a spoon or your hands ensure the bread is completely soaked in the custard. Leave to soak for a least 30 minutes.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for between 50–60 minutes until the pudding is golden brown and set.
6. In a small saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat and beat in the sugar, cream, whiskey and sea salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens it will take approximately 10 minutes.
7. Pour into a pouring jug and serve with the pudding still warm with plenty of the whiskey caramel sauce poured over each serving – enjoy!
I only wish I could make this for my late Dad again! I remember his reaction so well when I made it for him for the first time. It brought back lovely memories when I made it last weekend in memory of him, knowing that it would be my next recipe in my weekly blog.
I truly hope you give this recipe a bash, it’s really easy but utterly delicious, and it too could become a firm family favourite with your family!
Contact JP
Twitter: @JPKCooking
Email: JPKCooking@gmail.com
Instagram: jpkennedy.kennedy
