This is a really simple recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Also, bread and butter pudding is a great way to use leftover bread, or in this case brioche. I prefer avoiding the white loafs for this recipe but honestly you can replace the brioche with any bread or pastry of your preference. I have seen my daughter trying a much richer version with croissants and my father an Italian version with pantone. You can also add a little kick to this recipe by adding nutmeg, cinnamon or nuts inside the initial mix.

Brioche and butter pudding

Ingredients

  • 240g sliced brioche
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 100g white sugar (+ a little to sprinkle on top)
  • 1 scraped vanilla pod
  • 180g whole milk
  • 1 tbsp. rum
  • 30g raisins
  • 15g diced butter (+ a little for greasing)

Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees celsius.

Method:

  1. To begin, grease a baking dish with a little butter.
  2. Place the raisins in a small bowl and pour the rum on top. The dried fruit will absorb all the alcohol whilst you get along with the rest of the recipe.
  3. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat until almost simmering. Keep stirring, making sure the milk does not burn.
  4. In the meantime, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Once the milk is hot (but not boiling) gradually pour into the egg mix whisking continuously. Then one by one, drop each slice of brioche into the liquid mix. Let the slices absorb the liquid for a couple of minutes before removing from the pan and then carefully arranging and layering in your baking dish.
  5. Repeat the process until you have filled all the little holes up with brioche. At last, pour the raisins into the remaining liquid mix and empty it all over the top of the pudding.
  6. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of the pudding and scatter the cubes of butter on top before baking at 170 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

First of all I suggest a very affordable 2012 L’Or du Ciron, Sauternes. This gorgeous sweet wine is bursting with apricot and orange peel flavours. This classic dessert pairing would be even more distinct by adding a hint of freshly grated orange zest on top of the pudding as it comes out of the oven.

Only on rare occasions do dessert wines come together so perfectly to complement the complex layers of sweetness in a dish. The 2009 Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji from Hungary is a glorious sweet wine that does just that. Full of notes of honey and apricot, yet still a firm acidic tang on the finish.

I think a fresh and vibrant Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive from Hugel et Fils pairs well with this homemade pudding. This Alsatian sweet wine has unlimited ability to age with plenty of ripe mango flavours.

Wines to drink with Brioche and butter pudding by Michel Roux Jr.

Calvet Sauternes, Reserve Du Ciron 2012: Beautifully golden in colour, this wine is fruity, sweet and zesty. A perfect accompaniment to this deeply sumptuous dessert and excellent value for money.

RRP: £5.50 per half from Asda

Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji 2009: Refreshing with a fine acidity, this wine is well balanced with sweet and aromatic notes of warming cinnamon and sweet figs.

RRP: £21.50 Wine Society

Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive, Hugel 2007 – Beautifully fruity and floral with fabulous aromas of mango, pineapple, jasmine and rose. Sweet, fresh and lively, this wonderful white is alive with flecks of green amongst its intense yellow colour.

RRP: £33.00 Wine Society

Gateau de Savoie

Gateau de Savoie, Michel Roux Jnr.
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Gateau de Savoie, chestnut purée and Chantilly cream – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Vitello-Tonnato

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Vitello Tonnato – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Stuffed Courgette

(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Stuffed courgettes – recipe by Michel Roux Jr.

Michel Roux Jr
Michel Roux Jr
Columnist
Michel Roux Jr was born in 1960 in Pembury, Kent, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef for the Cazalet family. His earliest food memories are the smells of the Fairlawne kitchen – pastry, sugar caramelizing and stews – where he played under the table while his father and mother Monique prepared the meals. After deciding to follow in his father’s footsteps, he left school at 16 for the first of several challenging apprenticeships at Maître Patissier, Hellegouarche in Paris from 1976 to 1979. He was then Commis de Cuisine at Alain Chapel’s signature restaurant at Mionay near Lyon, Michel’s biggest influence. His military service was spent in the kitchens at the Elysée Palace at the time of Presidents Giscard d’Estaing and François Mitterrand. He also spent time at Boucherie Lamartine and Charcuterie Mothu in Paris, and the Gavers Restaurant in London. After a stint at the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong he returned to London and worked at La Tante Claire before joining the family business. He took over running Le Gavroche in 1991, gradually changing the style of cooking to his own – classic French with a lighter, modern twist. Michel opened Roux at Parliament Square in May 2010 with Restaurant Associates, part of the Compass Group UK and Ireland. And in November 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau at London’s prestigious luxury hotel, The Langham. Michel was a judge and presenter on the BBC’s popular prime time show, MasterChef: The Professionals, and presented all series of ‘Great British Food Revival.’  Michel fronted BBC2’s ‘Food and Drink,’ in 2014 and presented a documentary on Escoffier, whose revolutionary approach to fine cuisine has inspired Michel and many others. In the same year, Michel went on a journey to create the perfect chocolate for the Le Gavroche Kitchen.  Filmed by the BBC, in Paris he discovered chocolatiers, Cacao Barry and their Or Noir Lab. In 2013, Michel launched his most recent cookbook, ‘The French Kitchen’.  Focusing on traditional French home cooking, this is the fifth solo cookery book from Michel. He is involved with the Roux Experience courses at the ‘Cactus Kitchens’ cookery school, with the Executive producer of Saturday Kitchen, Amanda Ross. Cactus Kitchens offers people the opportunity to learn to cook within small intimate groups from some of the UK’s finest chefs, on site above the Saturday Kitchen studios. Michel has fronted a brand new four-part Channel 4 series, ‘The Diner’, exploring the hurdles faced by people with disabilities and mental health issues when finding employment. Michel also recently presented a new program on his first ever project with the Disney Channel.  ‘First Class Chefs’ which launched in June 2015, is a show where kids aged 9-11 compete to showcase their restaurant skills.