Random Recipes,
The Fig Tree
and
Bread & Butter Pudding
with Honeyed Figs
This is my first Random Recipe entry for Dom’s monthly challenge over at the wonderful Belleau Kitchen……and no, I didn’t cheat, my husband did! More about that later…….for the challenge this month, the brief (sounds very important that doesn’t it?!) was newspapers, clippings, free recipe cards, free pull~outs, magazines etc.
GREAT! I have a couple of shoe boxes full of them, so that would be easy. I chucked them all on the kitchen table ~ just as well I have a pretty sturdy one, kitchen table that is, and asked my husband to pick one at random…..and just to be on the safe side, I left the room. When I came back 5 minutes later he had a neat pile of all the ones he had “picked specially”! No, that’s not how it’s done I said, but it was too late as my eyes fell upon a great seasonal recipe card from Waitrose…..so I randomly picked that!
Well, it makes sense as I have a fig tree that is laden with fruit and this gloriously comforting and naughty British pudding is ripe for the making and eating in our house ~ I can just imagine it now, around the kitchen table with lashings of custard or cream, and I get to use some figs for something other than salads, cheese boards and preserves.
Now, I did tweak the recipe a wee bit, mainly due to lack of certain ingredients, but not much and I will highlight my substitutions on the recipe later. I now had to pick my figs ~ so, off I marched down to the willing fig tree to find that all the lower branches had been stripped of fruit by my hens ~ the Coronation Chickens!
So, it was a step ladder job and I am NOT good with heights, anything over about 12″ is too high for me! I precariously balanced a very old basket on one arm and clung on to the rungs with the other hand….then, slowly I made my way up the ladder. I’m happy to tell you that I made it up and down with no mishap whatsoever, and to reward my bravery I treated myself to a slice of apple pie and a cuppa! (Well it was 11am and therefore elevenses, which is allowed.)
Anyway, back to the random recipe ~ this was a delicious change to the usual Nursery style bread and butter pudding and the figs were wonderful when baked with the honey ~ the whole feel of the pudding was very indulgent and this would grace any Autumn dinner party table as a pretty stunning end to a meal. As I mentioned before I had to sub a wee bit ~ I had no Waitrose fruit bread so I used sliced Brioche, which was VERY nice! Neither did I have any Waitrose English Blossom Honey, so I used some English meadow flower honey I brought back with me from the UK a month or two ago; other than that, it was all made as the recipe card indicated.
We ate this after a fairly frugal soup lunch, it made a nice ending and without the guilt as we had been so good with the main course! I served it with single pouring Crème Fraîche, a lower fat one for even less guilt and what we both loved was the toasted bits on top where the Demerara sugar had just caught, that and the fluffy blankets of custardy brioche with honey figs and peel hidden amongst them……a rare mid~week treat which is all Dom’s fault ~ but THANKS! I have linked the recipe for the printable recipe to the Waitrose website instead of my own recipe website……there is an option to print the recipe on the left hand side.
Bread and Butter Pudding with Honeyed Figs
Fresh figs, caramelised with honey, add extra stickiness and texture to this classic English pudding, made with a fruited loaf and creamy custard.
Ingredients:
- 6 fresh figs, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Waitrose English Blossom Honey (I used normal wild flower honey)
- 25g Waitrose Italian Cut Mixed Peel (I used normal peel)
- 25g softened butter
- 1 Waitrose Richly Fruited Loaf (I used sliced Brioche)
- 2 medium eggs
- 400ml milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
Method:
- Preheat the grill to its highest setting. Place the figs in the base of a shallow 20 x 32cm ovenproof dish (in which you will cook the pudding later) and drizzle with the honey. Cook under the grill for 5-6 minutes until the figs start to turn golden.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Leave half the figs in the base of the dish and retain the other half (reserving a couple to decorate the top of the pudding). Scatter half of the mixed peel over the figs.
- Butter the loaf and cut each slice in half. Place half the slices slightly overlapping each other over the figs, top with the remaining figs and mixed peel, and finish with another layer of bread.
- To make the custard mixture, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract and pour over the pudding.
- Place the reserved fig slices on the top and sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the pudding. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the top is crispy and golden and the custard is lightly set. Serve with single cream.
Cook’s tips:
When figs are out of season use dried figs, roughly chopped.
Try using slices of brioche loaf (I DID!) or croissants instead of the fruited bread.
Try using slices of brioche loaf (I DID!) or croissants instead of the fruited bread.
Drinks recommendation:
Such a sweet and luscious dessert is crying out for an equally delicious dessert wine.
See you all later ~I am waddling off to have a bit of a sit down and read my latest Good Food magazine!
Karen
Fabulicious Food says
Delicious looking pudding – I absolutely love figs and always looking for new ways to use them.
Enjoy Good Food mag, I am making Edd Kimbler's Raspberry Ripple cake for my little girl's birthday next week – it's in the mag somewhere.
x
Marie says
Fabulous pudding Karen. I have collected all those Waitrose cards and mags through the years, right up until moving back up here to Chester. No Waitrose in Chester. Miss them!! Your pudding looks great! I wish I had a fig tree! How wonderful! xxoo
Annie says
Oh yum 😀 This one I have to try.
Marie I'm in the Chester area and get my Waitrose items delivered by Ocado 🙂
Amanda says
I'll be putting this recipe aside for when our own figs are ripe, thanks. We have 3 fig trees and so are always looking for new ways to use them up!
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
wow Karen, it looks beautiful!… I would never have thought of a bread and butter fig pudding but it's a great idea… we have loads of figs at work so I now know what to do with them… and don't worry about the little bit of cheating, its the principal of the idea that's the point… thanks so much for taking part, it's an honour to have you on board xx
carolinajewel says
Sorry you had to balance on the ladder for the figs, but whole could blame those gorgeous chickens! Love that shot of them in the wildflowers! Looks like the climb for the figs was worth it for that beautiful bread pudding!
La Table De Nana says
My husband loves bread puds.. this one would be no exception..I wish I had your little critters in my backyard:) Aren't they darling amongst the blue flowers?
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
Figs are in season here and I just bought a beautiful brioche so I think I'm all set to make your wonderful bread pudding. A little glass of dessert wine to go with it is an excellent suggestion. The honeyed figs sound delicious all by themselves.
Prairie Rose says
My tummy just growled!
Yummy!
I love bread puddings and I cant imagine how divine a bread pudding laden with fresh figs might be like!!
Choclette says
Now stop going around feeling guilty and enjoy. It sounds fabulous, I can just imagine those luscious honeyed figs amidst a comforting bread and butter pudding. And really after your adventure of climbing the tree, you really did deserve a special treat 😉
Working london mummy says
this looks delicious! what a nice idea to combine figs with into an already comforting dessert
Crumbs says
delicious sounding pud – inspired! And the photos are fantastic!
Shu Han says
oh. my. gosh. this looks amazing!
dearloveblog says
Your pudding looks glorious! An interesting combination, I never would have thought of putting figs in a bread & butter pudding.
Ruth Ellis says
This looks delicious – something different to do with figs.
I've just seen the challenge for next month's random recipe. We've all been paired up and are randomly selecting the other's cookbook, and page number, and I've been paired with you.
So, I've just had a count, and I have 68 cook books – take your numerical pick! If you let me know I'll pick a number for you, and then we can progress to the page number selection…
Cheers
Rx
http://makey-cakey.blogspot.com/2011/09/random-recipes-honey-biscuits.html
Karen S Booth says
Hello Ruth! Wonderful! I was getting around to finding who and where you were later, but I might as well do it now ~ I have a banana loaf in the oven so I am dashing backwards and forwards! I will pop by your blog in a minute and post my cookbook collection total for you…..
Karen
Ruth Ellis says
Hey – I've got chutney on the hob, so am online in between stirring!
I'm choosing book number 28 for you (at least you won't have to count too far!
Cheers
Rx
Karen S Booth says
Thanks Ruth! Number 28 it is then! What page number?
Ruth Ellis says
Right book number 55 for me is the 'Soup Bible' which has 255 pages – so take your pick!
How many pages has yours got, and I'll do similarly.
Cheers
Ruth
Karen S Booth says
Okey dokey! Page number 55 for you from The Soup Bible!
My book number 28 is "The Woman's Institute book of 650 Favourite Recipes" and has 298 pages!
Karen
Ruth Ellis says
Right – 28 again then! And if there's more than one recipe per page (which I'm guessing there must be to fit 600+ into 298 pages) then the last one.
Apparently I'm making green bean and parmesan soup…
Thanks for picking!
Rx
Karen S Booth says
LOL! Ruth, as it is at the beginning of the book it is a soup for me too! Mine is Onion Soup ~ that was the second recipe on that page.
This has been fun and thanks for playing along with the game….now to cook.
See you soon.
Karen