Bread and Jam for Frances

by starxlr8 on May 12, 2008

One highlight of my weekend is curling up on the sofa with fresh, hot coffee and my friends, Nigella and Jamie. I don’t watch that much Food Network anymore, save for these trusted cooks and my favorite comfort-food-on-speed-host Guy Fieri. Somehow they snuck in an old episode of Nigella Bites into the Nigella Express lineup. This one featured her childhood favorites, such as bread and butter pudding. I had never heard of this dish, but it seems to be bread pudding plus butter – what’s not to love?!?

bread and butter pudding
Photo courtesy of Cook (almost) Anything

I set out to make my rendition with pretty decent results, for it being lower in fat and sugar. Using her instructions and my ingredients, I made 2 sandwiches of Ezekiel bread, Smart Balance light and sugar free peach preserves. I sliced these on the diagonal and placed in a small Pam-ed ramekin. I made a light custard with 2 egg yolks, 2 T splenda for baking and 3/4 cup light vanilla soymilk. (Given that I didn’t know if this was going to work – I didn’t want to make too much of the sauce.) I poured this over the bread and let sit for about 40 minutes. I then baked the dish for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I served a heaping spoonfull with a few T of fat free vanilla ice cream, which got all nice and melty next to the hot pudding.

I think using a tangier preserve or marmalade would enhance the flavor and maybe fat free non-dairy instead of soy to increase the richness. But overall, this was a pretty good interpretation.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Dr. Ding May 20, 2008 at 1:27 pm

Jam on biscuits/Jam on toast
Jam is the thing/That I like most
Strawbery, raspberry, gooseberry/I’m very
Fond. Of. Jam!

LOVE that book!

StarXLR8 May 21, 2008 at 6:51 am

For my other readers, I believe Dr. Ding is my long lost (and much cooler) older sister!

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