Queen Pudding Food

QUEEN OF PUDDINGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 1 1/2- to 1 3/4-cup oval gratin dishes; set aside.
• Bring milk, butter, 1/2 cup sugar, the zest, and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add bread; remove from heat. Let stand, stirring often, 30 minutes.
• Stir in yolks. Divide evenly among prepared dishes. Bake until just set, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.
• Heat jam in a small saucepan until thin. Spread over tops of puddings.
• Put egg whites and remaining 1/2 cup sugar into the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar has dissolved and whites are warm, about 2 minutes. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until medium peaks form. Mound meringue over puddings, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
• Bake until meringue is golden all over and puddings are heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

QUEEN PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut the crusts from the bread and cut the bread into 1cm squares and place in basin with sultana's, hot milk, sugar, butter and lemon rind and stand mixture for 10 minutes.
• Beat egg yolks into bread mixture and pour into an oven proof or casserole dish.
• Bake in meoderate oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until set.
• Spread jam over pudding.
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually beat in the extra sugar and beat until dissolved.
• Spoon meringue mixture onto the pudding. spreading the meringue to edge of the dish.
• (Sprinkle uncooked meringue with a coloured sugar if desired).
• Bake in moderate oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned.

QUEEN OF PUDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin. Whisk together the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and custard powder until well combined and fluffy. Spread into the tin and bake for 25-30 mins until golden and risen. Cool in the tin.
• Remove cooled cake from tin and spread with the jam. Trim the edges, then cut into 16 squares. Add a meringue to each just before serving.

QUEEN OF PUDDINGS

Steps:

• In a medium pot, stir together 1/2 cup of the sugar, milk, salt, lemon zest and 6 tablespoons of the butter. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.
• Butter a 9-inch square pan or a 2-quart gratin dish and lay the bread cubes evenly over the bottom.
• In a medium bowl, beat the 8 egg yolks. Stir in 1 cup of the hot milk, and then pour the tempered yolks into the remaining hot milk. Pass the liquid through a sieve set over the cubes of bread. Push down on the cubes to submerge them into the milk mixture and let soak for 20 to 60 minutes.
• Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the baking dish of soaking bread in a larger pan and fill with enough of the hot water to come halfway up the sides of the smaller pan. Bake in the oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out nearly clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest in the water bath. Keep the oven on.
• Warm the jam in a small saucepan and spread it over the baked custard.
• Using an electric mixture fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the remaining egg whites on low until foamy. Whisk in the lemon juice and vanilla and gradually increase the speed to high. When the whites form very soft peaks, add 1 cup of the sugar, a little at a time, until glossy, stiff peaks form.
• Cover the jam with dollops of meringue, and then sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake in the oven until the meringue peaks are lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, then refrigerate. Serve chilled.

QUEEN OF PUDDINGS - BAKED RASPBERRY AND MERINGUE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/310F/Gas 2.
• For the pudding base, pour the milk and cream into a pan and add the split vanilla pod. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat.
• Place the sugar into a large bowl with the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is light and creamy.
• Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and cream, whisking all the time, then add the breadcrumbs and lemon zest.
• Half-fill a roasting tin with boiling water to make a bain-marie. Pour the pudding mixture into individual ramekins, or one large oven-proof baking dish and place them into the bain-marie.
• Place the bain-marie in the centre of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the pudding or puddings are almost set, but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• For the meringue topping, place the egg whites into a large clean bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, a tablespoonful at a time.
• Place the jam into a small pan over a low heat and gently melt. Spread the jam over the top of the puddings, then cover the puddings completely with the meringue mixture.
• Sprinkle with the icing sugar and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the top is crisp and lightly browned.
• To serve, remove from the oven and serve immediately.

THE QUEEN'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Steps:

• Select a heat-proof bowl of any size or shape and generously grease with butter.
• Combine dates, apricots, currants, raisins, cranberries, ginger, whiskey, orange zest, and orange juice in a mixing bowl. Toss thoroughly to combine.
• Pour in melted butter and stir until everything is evenly coated. Mix in egg, heavy cream, and buttermilk. Add salt, pecans, bread crumbs, and flour and mix until batter is very thick and sticky.
• Transfer dough to the prepared bowl and press it down to flatten with a spatula. Place a circle of parchment paper over the top and press down to seal. Stretch 2 pieces of plastic wrap over the bowl, then place the bowl on a third piece of plastic wrap. Bring the ends up and over the bowl and seal tightly. Cover the bowl with 2 pieces of foil, then tie a piece of string around and secure tightly.
• Place in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
• Lay rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Place the wrapped pudding on the rosemary sprigs and fill the Dutch oven halfway with water.
• Place over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, reduce heat to medium and steam, covered, for 4 hours, checking every hour to see if you need to add more water.
• Use kitchen towels and carefully lift the pudding out of the Dutch oven. Snip the string, take off the foil, remove the plastic wrap, and peel off the parchment. Place a plate over the bowl and invert the pudding to unmold.
• Brush maple syrup over top. Cut and serve immediately.