Egg Custard & Chocolate Croissant Pudding

Egg Custard & Chocolate Croissant Pudding

A little while ago I bought two identical cookbooks about chocolate, one for me and one for a gift. I still haven't sent the gift - (my bad!) - but I'm guessing I will soon because the recipient is pregnant and due any second now! That's an occasion as good as any?! For about a week or two I could only find one of the two books (panic-panic!) - but then yesterday, being my friends actual due-date "Ta-daaah".. both books surfaced. Quickly flicking through - I stopped at a recipe (without a photo) that inspired me. It was for a 'Croissant Cake' of sorts. Having no photo, I could only assume (from the recipe) that it was like a bread & butter pudding. So here it is, my version of that bread-and-butter-type-pudding using croissants (with no added butter in the recipe), dark chocolate and a made-from-scratch egg custard mix. The original recipe (which inspired me) had too much sugar. Actually I changed everything except for the croissant & egg quantities. Even the requested baking dish & cooking time aren't true to the original chocolate-book 'cake'. Be prepared, this recipe yields a lot of pudding, so use it when expecting company perhaps? Or just have generous serves and seconds the next day! This is a superior, rich cafe-style dessert (especially if you opt to use full cream milk & cream) - we really liked it. Hubby's summarised verdict, in his own words: "Excellent"!

Egg Custard & Chocolate Croissant Pudding

SERVES 8

-6 large butter croissants (I used 2 x Woolworths Bakehouse 3packs = 225gm each pack. Don't be tempted to use mini-croissants, which are not the same & have more water than butter in them)

• -200g dark chocolate (I used 40% cocoa solids) bashed/crumbled into rubble in a freezer bag with a meat tenderiser
• -10 eggs
• -180g caster sugar (about 1 cup)
• -2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
• -800ml milk (you can use full cream, I used reduced fat, not skim)
• -250ml thickened cream (again, you can use full cream, I used reduced fat)
• -Rice bran oil to spray pudding dish
• -Extra pouring cream to serve + icing sugar for dusting
• -Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius or 160 degrees if fan-forced
• -Grease a large, deep pudding dish (around 10cm high - my pyrex dish was also 26 x 20cm) by spraying it with rice bran or canola oil
• -Cut croissants lengthways with a sharp knife (like you would a bread roll)
• -Fill all six croissants with three quarters of your dark chocolate rubble (the chocolate being sandwiched between each split croissant)
• -Carefully put filled croissants into baking dish in two layers, three on the base and three on top
• MAKE CUSTARD
• -Get a stainless steel saucepan and a large bowl ready
• -In the bowl, whisk together eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract (the 'whisk' setting on an electric mixer is best)
• -In the saucepan, bring to boil the milk and cream, stirring frequently, then remove from heat

-Add hot milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking rapidly (you might want someone else to pour while you whisk or vice versa as the saucepan of hot milk will be heavy & you need to be careful not to burn yourself or drop anything)

-Pour combined mixtures over the croissants in the baking dish

-Gently press croissants downward to help them soak-up the liquid and not float (Using a spatula or ladle or something similar)

-Sprinkle remaining chocolate rubble over the top

-Put baking dish on an oven tray and bake for 45 minutes

-Check pudding after 25 to 30mins. If too brown, then place a sheet of aluminium foil over the top and continue baking

-When pudding is firm to touch (but not hard), it's ready. Be careful if using your fingers because touching hot melted chocolate directly will burn you quite quickly. Telling you from experience!

-IMPORTANT: Cool/rest pudding in dish for 40 minutes to 1 hour.

-Re-heat pudding slightly in the microwave if it is too cool for you (we didn't think it needed it for our tastes)

-Dust top with icing sugar and serve with pouring cream if desired

(Above) "Sweetie, can you please pour while I take the photo?"