One thing that really bothers me about living on my own, is buying food for one. I hate leftovers and, more than anything, I hate wasting food. I admit that some leftover meals are crazy delicious, like christmas leftover sandwiches or bubble and squeak, and they do have their place when it comes to time-saving. But eating a three-day old soggy lasagne just doesn’t do it for me.
One of my favourite things to buy is a crusty fresh loaf of bread from a local shop. I can’t think of many things more satisfying than the smell of a freshly baked loaf. Accompany some pungent ripe cheese with that and I’m yours. However, 9 times out of 10, I won’t eat all of it before it becomes stale beyond any saving. And this is with me eating it at every opportunity, trying to avoid this. Life seems to get in the way and this happens with a fair amount of food in my house.
I honestly think someone should create a supermarket for singles. Everything should come in single sized portions. I really don’t like eating the same meal over and over again, so buying a pack of six sausages means I have to eat sausages for three days in a row. All of the dishes I bake in on a day-to-day basis are single sized or two portion maximum, for this reason exactly.
So here I am, saving all you fellow single gals and guys out there from leftovers and throwing away old food; because you really can’t face the thought of another lacklustre pasta dish hanging around your fridge for days again.
Bread pudding uses up leftover milk, berries, croissants and anything else you feel like throwing in there. Make this what you want. It’s all about taking out what I’ve put in and changing it for what tickles your fancy. Nothing screams Autumn like a steaming dish of hot, creamy bread pudding just for you.
Ingredients – makes one small bread pudding*
This recipe is all about customising it to tailor to you. Add in anything you wish and take out whatever you don’t like the sound of from my recipe. You can even simply just add lashings of rum soaked sultanas and that’s it. Keep it simple.
*My pudding dish was fairly large for one person. If you’re looking to make more socially acceptable sized puddings, this recipe will make 2 smaller ones.
- 150ml whole milk
- 50ml double cream
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 croissant or a few slices of brioche (better if they’re a little stale)
- zest of 1/2 an orange (optional)
- a handful of blackberries (optional)
- a handful of chocolate (optional)
- a small handful of rum soaked sultanas (optional)
Method
Start by buttering the inside of your chosen single portion bread pudding dish. Arrange your slices of croissant or brioche inside. Sprinkle on your desired toppings: sultanas, chocolate, fruit or anything else you fancy.
Place the milk, double cream and sugar into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once boiled, pour over the beaten egg. Whisk continuously as you pour over the hot cream so that it doesn’t scramble the egg. Pour the custard over your prepared slices of croissant/brioche. The custard should reach about a quarter of an inch from the top of your dish. You may not need all of the custard, it depends on the size of your dish.
Leave the custard to soak in for 20-30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 160ºC.
Once soaked, place your dish into the oven and bake for 25-35 minutes. Or until the custard is just set and the top of the pudding is crisp.
