Queen of Puddings (English)

Queen of puddings is a quintessentially British dessert made of a custardy bread base, fruit, and meringue. This layered concoction begins with a sweet mixture of milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, and fresh breadcrumbs. Fruit is added either to this base or between the base and the meringue top-the choice is yours. Use a thick layer of jam, any fruit preserve, a compôte of seasonal fruit, fruit curd, or even marmalade. The pudding is crowned with a soft, chewy, fluffy meringue, making the dessert worthy of its name. Although somewhat royal, this easy-to-make recipe is comforting while not too heavy.

Pudding:
1 cup whole or full-cream milk (225 mL)
1 cup double/heavy cream (225 mL)
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup caster/fine sugar (110 g)
5 large egg yolks
1⅓ cups fresh breadcrumbs (140 g)
¼ cup lemon zest, freshly grated (from 2 lemons)
1 cup jam, fruit preserve or fruit compôte (225 g)

Meringue:
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup caster/fine sugar (110 g)
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 2). Lightly butter a 9x2" ovenproof pie dish.

Place the milk, cream, and vanilla extract into a saucepan.

Slowly bring to a gentle boil.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the egg yolks until light and fluffy.

Still whisking, slowly add the warmed milk and cream to the egg mixture, taking care not to splash.

Add the breadcrumbs and the lemon zest and mix to combine.

Pour the egg and breadcrumb mixture into the dish.

Bake the pudding for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture rises and is almost set yet still slightly wobbly.

Remove the pudding from the oven and set aside to cool.

Make the Meringue:
Raise the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

In a large, clean, metal bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Whisk in the caster/fine sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Continue to whisk until meringue is glossy, indicating that the sugar has been completely incorporated.

Assemble and Bake the Pudding:
Warm the jam or fruit preserves gently in the microwave or in a pan.

Spread the fruit carefully over the cooled base.

Cover the pudding with a thick layer of meringue.

Sprinkle the meringue liberally with the confectioners' sugar.

Place in the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the surface is crisp and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for a few minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Making Fresh Breadcrumbs: The term "fresh breadcrumbs" is a bit of a misnomer since you want the bread to be a little stale before processing into crumbs. If you don't have stale bread, you can toast pieces in the oven for about 20 minutes until they are dried out. Then tear up and add to the food processor and blend until coarse crumbs form.