Lemon curd bread and butter pudding

Hello everyone, I was lucky enough to have two group get togethers during the week over dinner at two restaurants I love, both of which have a multiple dishes to share style of dining, so I was able to taste lots of different things! On Wednesday night I went back to Kika Tapas in Darlinghurst. There were eight of us and it felt as if we ordered a huge number of dishes, but we managed to eat it all (and fit in dessert!) and still pay a reasonable amount.

Then on Thursday night I organised my book club to meet at Kuali, a Malaysian restaurant in Lane Cove, to meet my friend Fiona Higgins and discuss her recently published memoir, Love In The Age Of Drought. Fiona brought along the main character, her husband Stu, and we enjoyed a fabulous banquet with the best roti bread I have ever eaten. These two feasts can make up for this weekend when I will be immersed in the film festival instead of being out eating.

Now that it's winter we have the perfect excuse to consume puddings, and this recipe is luscious. I can't remember what prompted me to try it the first time because I am phobic about mass produced white sliced bread, and have never been a huge fan of lemon curd. I think I actually tasted it at a cooking demonstration by Valli Little and loved it, so tried it out at home myself. You can get really beautiful lemon or passionfruit curds these days, and the bread, well, it just works. Try it and see.

Have a happy week. Love from Jane xx

• Lemon curd bread and butter pudding
  
  Serves 6-8
  
  What you need:
• 14 slices Tip Top white bread, crusts removed
• 50g softened unsalted butter
• 1 jar lemon or passionfruit curd
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 6 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups thin cream
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
  
  What you do:
  1. Butter the bread and then spread with curd.
  2. Cut each slice into halves and layer, overlapping, in a large baking dish.
  3. Beat together the eggs, cream, sugar and lemon zest.
  4. Pour custard over the bread and leave to rest for half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170C.
  5. Place the pudding in a roasting tin and pour in enough water to come half way up the sides of the baking dish.
  6. Cover the pudding loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove the foil and cook a further 5-10 minutes or until the top turns golden and puffed.
  8. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, icecream and berries.
  
  The leftovers are really yummy warmed up for breakfast!