SHF #29: A bread pudding for my mummy

"Hi Mummy! It's me!"
"Oh Jasmine! How is Beanie?"
"Beanie thinks he's starving."
"Of course he does--because you don't feed him. How's little Hagia?"
"She's okay. She has night duty, so I don't see her that much."
"And Zeusie?"
"I think he's okay. I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks."
"Mmmmm..."
"How are things there? How's Daddy?"
"It is so hot here. During the day it is 85. I have to bath so many times. Daddy is only coughing a few times at night."
"Well, that's better. I have a question. Do you have any of those cocoa beans left?"
"Oh yes. Go downstairs into the basement. Go into the room under the kitchen. The are in the near buckets. NOT the far ones."
"Okay, thanks."
"Why, what are you going to do?"
"I wanted to make a pudding."
"Oh, I ground some beans and put them in the kitchen. Use that. It's easier than grinding them yourself."
"Oh. Okay. Where did you put them?"
"In the cupboard."
"Uh huh. In which cupboard?"
"The one next to the stove, on the top--you'll need the stool. You can't reach it."
"Uh-huh. And how did you put it up there?"
"I used the [step]ladder."
"Uh-huh."
"You know, I wanted to tell you something."
"Mmmm?"
"I haven't been able to eat anything yummy because of the diet the doctor put Daddy on."
"Mmm-Hmmm?"
"I'm like Beanie. I see all that chicken, but I'm not allowed to have any. Have you made him some chicken? You know he would like some."
"No, I haven't made him any chicken lately."
"There's some in the freezer. Take some and make it for him."
"Yeah. I think he's fine with the cat food. Anyway..."
"Oh yes. Where was I? I decided to make bread pudding. I haven't had anything nice in so long. I thought if you were here you would eat it with me."
"Yeah--it's so nice--"
"--with that yummy crunchy top. Yes. Listen. I got the eggs and the milk and the bread. I got everything, and you know what?"
"You realised Daddy isn't supposed to eat eggs while he is takes his medicine?"
"No. Don't be silly. The pudding is not for him. It was for me. And you, if you were here. No, I forgot one thing. Just one little thing"
"What? Butter? Vanilla? Sugar"
"I forgot the oven."
"You forgot to set the oven."
"No. Listen to me. I forgot I had no oven here [makes a melodramatic fake crying noise]."
"How could you forget you didn't have an oven?"
"I don't know. I just forgot."
"Well...you have a microwave, why don't you use that."
"Don't be silly. You can't get a nice crunchy top with that microwave."
"But the one you have here can be turned into a normal oven--"
"No. Daddy bought this one and I can't do anything with it."
"I see."
"I really wanted that pudding. It was going to be so nice and crunchy and sweet."
"I know, Mum."
"Oh, and how are you doing?..."

That was a conversation I had with my darling little Mummy a couple of weeks ago, when I found out about Emily's SHF theme: Raw Chocolate. My heart went out for her. I mean, I know what it's like to get so far down that process only to have a crucial item not be there. And my mummy does like her bread pudding...

So, instead of making the chocolate mint pudding I wanted to make with the cocoa beans she has in the basement, I decided to make a bread pudding. The more I thought of it, the more I started craving Nutella. Don't ask me why. I just did. So...I decided to make a Nutella bread pudding with a chocolate custard made from the cocoa beans my mum ground up.

The sandwiches were slathered with butter and Nutella--easy peasy. The custard was made of five egg yolks, half a litre of cream (1 1/2c heavy cream and 1/2c water), a rounded tablespoon of sugar and a big heaping serving spoon of cocoa powder. Pour the custard over the bread and let it soak in a bit. Bake at 180C/350 F for about 30-40 minutes.

I know the picture may not look like much, but trust me...it's nummy.

cheers!
jasmine

tags: SHF

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