Queen of Puddings! Joy!

by Soma Sengupta

This is a wonderful, wonderful easy-to-make pudding. It tastes like a celebration. The custard and the jammed cake combine to provide a glory of contrasts in texture, the tart jam and sweet custard composing a happy mouthful. I hope you try this as a variation on the more usual bread pudding.

Ingredients:
Raspberry sauce:
1 package (10 oz) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed

8 oz store bought pound cake
Strawberry or raspberry jam
5 whole eggs and 5 egg yolks, large (reserve whites)
1 cups granulated sugar
1 quart milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Meringue topping:
5 reserved egg whites
Pinch of salt
Scant ½ cup sugar

Method:
To make raspberry sauce, puree the thawed berries with the syrup in a blender or food processor. Strain through a wide but fine strainer to remove the seeds. Refrigerate.

Butter a shallow, oblong, 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish and set it aside. Place bottom rack of oven 1/3 way up. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the pound cake in 3 slices crossways. Spread jam on slices and sandwich. Cut sandwich into smaller cubes. Arrange cake pieces over bottom of baking dish.
Meanwhile, scald milk. Beat the whole eggs and yolks together until combined. Beat sugar gradually into egg mixture. Very slowly at first, whisk in the milk. Gently pour this mixture over the cake pieces in the baking dish. Let this sit for at least 20 minutes but no more than an hour.
Place baking dish in a roasting pan. Open oven door and pull out the bottom rack until you can comfortably place roasting pan on it. Place roasting pan on rack. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come up 1/2 of baking dish. Carefully slide rack in and shut door.
Bake for about 45 minutes until a small, sharp knife gently inserted in the pudding comes out just barely clean.
Remove. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, to make meringue, beat egg whites with the pinch of salt until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 TBS at a time, beating constantly until thick and glossy. If you add sugar too fast, your meringue will be grainy. It’s important to incorporate each TBS before adding more.
You have a choice at this point. You can spread the meringue over the custard and swirl with the back of a spoon. Or, place the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a medium nozzle & pipe in large bulbs. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.

Serve immediately, with the raspberry sauce.