Oh Yum!!!

At lunch time I like to torture myself by reading delicious recipes online while shovelling salad into my mouth. Incidentally, none of the recipes I read are ever for salad.

I came across this gem moments ago on The Times (London) website and knew it had to be shared! We're hoping to have our friends Shaun & Melissa over for dinner soon so perhaps this will be the after dinner sweet treat. I'm also thinking my friend Kate would appreciate this as a pick-me-up during our résume bonanza in a few weeks.

Jamie Oliver's bread pudding and chocolate-beer sauce

Serves 8-10
*I've added the imperical measurements next to the metric

For the pudding

~ 5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic
~ 5 tbsp cocoa powder
~ 5 tbsp golden caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
~ 300ml single cream (10.5 fluid ounces)
~ 700ml semi-skimmed milk (24.5 fluid ounces)
~ 1 x 800g loaf of white bread, ends removed, cut into 1cm-thick slices (1.76 lbs or 28.5 ounces)
~ 100g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) (3.5 ounces)
~ 1 small handful of pecan nuts, roughly chopped
~ 1 punnet of strawberries, to serve (optional)
~ Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

For the sauce

~ 100ml dark beer (3.5 fluid ounces)
~ 100ml double cream (3.5 fluid ounces)
~ 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
~ 100g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) (3.5 ounces)
~ Sea salt

Heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Crack your eggs into a large mixing bowl with the cocoa powder and sugar and whisk until smooth and silky. Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until combined. Cut your slices of bread into rough triangles and add them to the mixing bowl. Push them down gently and leave for 30 seconds, or until they’ve soaked up that lovely chocolate custard. It’s best to do this a few slices at a time rather than all at once.

You’ll need an ovenproof dish or tin about 30cm x 25cm x 6cm (12 x 10 x 2 inches) deep. Layer your soaked bread triangles in the dish, then pour over any remaining custard so it fills the dish. Leaving the chocolate in its wrapper, smash it against the worktop to break it into chunks. Unwrap and poke these chunks between your slices of bread. They’ll melt into wonderful warm pools and be nice little surprises as you’re eating.

Scatter your chopped pecans over the top of the pudding, then sprinkle over some sugar evenly from a height. Pop the pudding into the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s golden and the custard is delicately setting, but still wobbly.

While that’s happening get a medium pan over a medium-high heat and add your beer, cream and sugar. Keep stirring and as soon as it comes to the boil, take it off the heat. Smash up your chocolate as you did before and stir the whole lot into the hot cream mixture with a small pinch of salt. Serve your pudding with your chocolate-beer sauce drizzled over the top. Lovely with a few fresh strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Extract from: Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver is published on Thursday September 3, 2009.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/recipes/article6809206.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1


And should I run out of time to prepare the above described delight - I'll make this instead from The Times Five ways with peaches article:

Baked with almonds

Halve and stone the peaches and pack them, cut side up, into a baking dish. Crumble some amaretti biscuits and soften them with a little Amaretto liqueur. Spoon over the top of each peach, scatter with flaked almonds and bake at 180C/350F/gas 4 for about 20 minutes or until the peaches are tender and the topping golden.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article6734485.ece