Bread And Butter Pudding With Caramel Sauce

1. 1

   Preheat the broiler.

2. 2

   Butter one side of each slice of bread and toast them with the buttered side up. Watch carefully as not to burn.

3. 3

   Stand bread slices upright to cool-- do not stack as they will stick together-- When toast is cool and dry, trim off crusts and cut into triangles.

4. 4

   Arrange in a deep 10 inch cake pan, in a spiral overlapping, with the points up. There will be an empty space in the centre.

5. 5

   Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.

6. 6

   Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk in a saucepot, over medium heat.

7. 7

   Note: If using extract, do not put it in the milk here, scald the milk alone.

8. 8

   In a large bowl, beat the eggs, remaining sugar, salt and vanilla extract if been used, until smooth and lemon coloured-- about one minute.

9. 9

   With mixer on low, and in a stream add the scalded milk-- now remove the vanilla bean.

10. 10

    With a ladle pour as much of this custard into the centre of the cake pan, careful not too overflow-- let stand and keep adding more, as its been soaked inches.

11. 11

    Bake in a hot 400u00b0F oven in a hot water bath-- for about 40 minutes until pudding is firm and puffed and golden brown-- Remove and place on a rack to cool.

12. 12

    Sauce-- Put butter in a pot, and pour in the sugar.

13. 13

    DO NOT STIR Over medium heat allow sugar to caramelize slowly--should take 10 minutes or so.

14. 14

    Stir when mixture is a nice brown colour and bubbling.

15. 15

    Continue until its a dark golden brown-- Stir in small amounts of the cream, it will harden up-- but then will go back to a liquid, or a thick syrup-- Strain through a sieve, and keep hot in a warm water bath, until needed.

16. 16

    To serve-- cut the cake into ten portions, as you would a pie-- using a knife and a pie lifter to remove, as not to loose any custard-- Pour some sauce over each.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.