Queen of Puddings

It's the Queen's Birthday holiday for most of Australia (Western Australia celebrates later in the year) so I thought it would be a fitting occasion to make a regal dessert - Queen of Puddings.

I've opted to use Delia's recipe, as she is, in her own way, the queen of the kitchen and a bit of an English institution.

You might be asking what exactly is the Queen of Puddings - well, there's a custard base, jam and a fluffy meringue top and it looks like this

Queen of Puddings
[Makes 4 individual puddings]

285 mls milk
5 grams butter
55 grams white breadcrumbs (I made them from leftover sour dough - no crusts)
15 grams caster sugar
1 lemon, zested
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons raspberry jam
2 egg whites
15 grams caster sugar, extra

Bring the milk to boiling point - take off the heat and then stir in the breadcrumbs, butter, caster sugar and lemon zest.

Allow this to cool before proceeding.

Beat the egg yolks until creamy and then stir it through the milk mixture.

Spoon out into 4 small soufflé dishes.



Bake in a preheated 160°C/320°F for about 20-30 minutes or until just set.

Place the jam into a small pan and place over a low heat - stir until the jam has melted. Spoon the melted jam onto the cooked puddings.



Place the eggwhites into a bowl and whisk using an electric beater. Slowly incorporate the extra caster sugar ensuring it is well dissolved into the meringue.

Spoon the meringue over each pudding - no need to be precise, just dome the meringue roughly over the top.



Return to the oven and bake until the meringue is golden - about 10 - 15 minutes.



You can eat these cold but seriously, I don't know if anyone can really wait that long!