Bread and butter pudding and hot buttered rum

This can also be made with leftover croissants or fruit bread and can be made in individual dishes if you'd rather.

Ingredients

500 g	Bread, stale (Main)
1 ½ cups	Milk
½ cup	Cream
3 Tbsp	Caster sugar
1 pinch	Ground nutmeg, plus another pinch for the top
1 pinch	Ground cinnamon, plus another pinch for the top
1 pinch	Salt
½	Vanilla pods, split, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract/essence
5	Eggs, 3 eggs and 2 yolks
1 sprinkle	Raisins
1 sprinkle	Sugar
40 g	Butter

hot buttered rum

⅓ cup	Brown sugar
4 Tbsp	Unsalted butter
½ tsp	Vanilla essence/extract
1 pinch	Cinnamon
1 pinch	Cloves
1 pinch	Allspice
1 pinch	Grated nutmeg
¼ cup	Dark rum (Main)
½ cup	Water, boiling
1 to serve	Cream, whipped

Directions

1. Heat the oven to medium (180C). Butter the inside of an ovenproof serving dish.
2. Rip, cube or slice about 500g of the bread you are using and pack this into the buttered dish.
3. In a solid pan mix together the milk and cream, the caster sugar and the nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and the halved, split vanilla pod, if using that. Heat until the sugar is dissolved then cover the pan and allow the pod to infuse for a while. If using vanilla extract, heat the other ingredients and add the extract once you remove them from the heat.
4. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and extra yolks. Pour half the hot milk mixture into this while you keep whisking, then gradually whisk in the rest.
5. Pour this over the bread in the ovenproof dish. Cover with cling film and leave for half an hour so the bread soaks up all the custard.
6. Set a baking tray half filled with water on to the middle tray of the oven.
7. Remove the plastic from the pudding and sprinkle the top with some raisins, sugar and the extra pinch of cinnamon and another of grated nutmeg. Dot with butter.
8. Sit pudding in the water bath. The water should be about halfway up the side of the dish. Top up if required. Cook for a good 40 minutes. A skewer should come out clean when the pudding is cooked. Serve with cream, either liquid or whipped.

Hot buttered rumMakes 6 drinks

1. In a bowl, mash together a third of a cup of packed dark brown sugar, 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter, half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and a good pinch each of cinnamon, ground cloves, ground allspice and freshly grated nutmeg. This must be well combined and can be kept for a couple of weeks. Before using, bring to room temperature.
2. Warm the mugs and glasses you are using with hot water. Empty these and fill the warm mugs with the dark rum and boiling water.
3. Stir in a generous tablespoon of the spiced butter, top with whipped cream and a final grating of fresh nutmeg.