Volume 8, Issue 123 - June 29, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

Wednesday - London:

Heading back down south to London, I was contemplating on the fact that London is such a melting pot for different styles of culinary treats. I chose Bread and Butter pudding as it is one of the most traditional English puddings and is best served with lashings of custard.

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London Broil

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper

2 to 3 pounds beef flank steak

Preparation:

Combine the marinade in a pan or bowl. Coat the flank steak completely and allow to marinate for 4 hours.

Grill the steak rare to medium rare. If cooked further, the meat will become extremely tough. Carve into 1/4 inch thick slices cutting diagonally across the grain.

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Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

1 medium sized spaghetti squash
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
pepper and salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut squash in half lengthwise.

In a kettle of boiling water, cook squash 30 minutes or until squash will separate into strands when probed with a fork. Remove when tender and discard seeds.

Place on a baking sheet and put butter and brown sugar in the cavity where the seeds were. Roast at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes.

With fork, scrape out pulp into a serving dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle the excess brown sugar and butter mixture over top.

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Bread and Butter Pudding

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
12 medium-thick slices softened white bread, crusts removed
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup caster sugar
a couple of drops of vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups double cream
1/8 cup sultanas
1/8 cup raisins

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 175 to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F, Gas Mark 4). Butter a 3-pint (1.7 litre) shallow dish.

Spread bread with butter and cut each slice into 4 triangles. Set aside.

For the Custard:

Whisk egg yolks, caster sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.

Put the milk and cream into a pan, bring to a simmer and then stir into the egg yolk/sugar mixture.

Layer one third of the bread in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with half the sultanas and raisins. Repeat once more and then finish with a final layer of bread. Do not add any fruit to this layer as it tends to burn if it is on top of the pudding.

Pour the warm egg custard over the bread. Place the dish in a roasting tray, three quarters filled with warm water and bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

Pre-heat broiler to medium. Remove the dish from the roasting tray and sprinkle with caster sugar. Slide under the broiler until nicely glazed.

You can also spread the buttered bread with marmalade for added flavour. Or spread with mincemeat before layering and add a splash of rum.