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How to make bread pudding with whisky sauce and home-made crème anglaise: a triple custard recipe from the archives

  • With three different home-made custards, this adult-only dish is rich and indulgent and has a nice hit of whisky
  • The secret to great custard is in the cooking: gently heat and make sure to scrape the entire bottom of the pan while stirring

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Bread pudding with whisky sauce and home-made crème anglaise is an indulgent adult-only dessert. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Susan Jung
Many people are under the misconception that custard is a packaged yellow powder that’s mixed with water or milk to make instant crème anglaise and pastry cream. But these powdered mixes don’t come close to the deliciousness of home-made custard, which – at its most basic – is a mixture of egg and liquid, sometimes with the addition of sugar, that’s cooked to make crème anglaise, pastry cream, crème brûlée, chawanmushi (Japanese savoury custard) or other dishes.

Bread pudding with crème anglaise and whisky sauce

This is a super-rich dessert because it has a triple dose of custard – in the bread pudding, the crème anglaise and the whisky sauce (yes, this is a custard!). The potent whisky sauce makes the pudding a sophisticated dessert that adults will enjoy, although don’t pour it over children’s portions. If you like, you can substitute brandy for the whisky.

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The recipe for whisky sauce makes a lot, but it’s hard to prepare it in smaller quantities. Fortunately, it keeps for a long time in the fridge – at least three weeks, probably because of all the alcohol. The crème anglaise can be stored in the fridge for about 10 days.

The best bread for bread pudding is a rich, eggy type, such as brioche or, if you’re really feeling indulgent, panettone. I also like it with Japanese milk bread. If you can plan ahead, leave the sliced bread out for at least an hour to dry slightly: this will help it absorb the custard.

Bread pudding with crème anglaise and whisky sauce: three types of custard. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Bread pudding with crème anglaise and whisky sauce: three types of custard. Photo: Jonathan Wong

For the crème anglaise

  • 250ml (1 cup) cream

  • 250ml (1 cup) milk

  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt

  • ½ vanilla bean

  • 115 grams (½ cup plus 3½ tsp) granulated sugar, divided

  • 4 large egg yolks

For the bread pudding

  • Butter, for greasing the baking dish

  • 5-8 slices of soft, eggy bread, cut about 8mm (⅜ inch) thick

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • 1 large egg

  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

  • 60 grams (¼ cup plus 2⅓ tsp) granulated sugar

  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

  • A little freshly grated nutmeg

  • 250ml (1 cup) cream

  • 100ml (¼ cup plus 2 tbsp and 2 tsp) milk

For the whisky sauce

  • 400 grams (14 oz) unsalted butter

  • 600 grams (3 cups) granulated sugar, divided

  • 2 large eggs

  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

  • 200ml (¾ cup plus 1 tbsp) whisky

Use a rich eggy bread like brioche, panettone or Japanese milk bread. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Use a rich eggy bread like brioche, panettone or Japanese milk bread. Photo: Jonathan Wong

1 Make the crème anglaise first so it has time to cool. Put the egg yolks into a medium-size bowl, add 60 grams (¼ cup plus 2 1/3 tsp) of sugar and whisk immediately, stirring until smooth. Put a fine-meshed sieve over a clean bowl and place this by the stove.

2 Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, then add the salt and 55 grams (¼ cup plus 1 tsp) of sugar. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put the seeds and the pod into the pan and heat over a low-medium flame until the milk/cream simmers. Turn off the flame.

3 Ladle about 60ml (¼ cup) of this mixture into the bowl holding the yolks and sugar and whisk immediately. Repeat this three more times – this slowly increases the temperature of the yolks so they don’t curdle. Whisking constantly, pour the contents of the bowl into the pan.

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4 Turn the flame to low and start stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir slowly back and forth so the spoon comes in contact with the entire bottom of the pan. The crème anglaise is ready when it coats the back of the spoon and leaves a track when you draw your finger across it. Do not let the mixture simmer or it will curdle.

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