Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 180C.

To make the caramel: Dissolve sugar in water over moderate heat, brushing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent any droplets burning on the sides of the pan. Once dissolved, increase heat and boil until a rich brown. Pour carefully into 8 moulds of 150ml capacity and very carefully turn and twist the moulds until the sides are well coated with the caramel.

Place milk, butter and chocolate in a pan over moderate heat, stirring from time to time until the chocolate has completely melted. Whisk together the sugar, eggs, vanilla and cognac until thick. Beat in the melted milk chocolate mix and stir in the crumbs. Ladle into moulds and bake in a bain-marie, uncovered, in the oven for 20 minutes until firm. Allow to settle for 5-10 minutes before unmoulding. Serve warm or cold with cream or vanilla custard.

A marvellous variation: Instead of using bread, substitute the same weight of gingerbread crumbled in a food processor, or amaretti biscuit crumbs.

Serves: 8