Biscuit Pudding

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Shallow 1½-quart (1.4-liter) Charlotte mould or 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Heavy 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan
• •Small saucepan for the milk
• •Electric mixer or large balloon whisk
• •Broad flexible spatula
• •Kettle

Instructions

1. 1

   Macerate the fruit

   Combine the diced candied fruit, currants, and kirsch in a small bowl. Cover and leave for at least 30 minutes, stirring once so every piece drinks some of the kirsch. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), or 300°F (150°C) with convection, and butter a shallow 1½-quart (1.4-liter) Charlotte mould or 10-inch (25 cm) pie dish. Set the dish inside a deep roasting pan and bring a kettle of water to the boil.

2. 2

   Build the biscuit base

   Put the crushed ladyfingers in a heavy 3-quart (3-liter) saucepan. Bring the milk and sugar just to the boil in a second pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then pour the sweetened milk over the crumbs. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir continuously for 5 to 7 minutes, until the biscuits become a smooth, thick paste that parts briefly behind the spoon. Keep the heat modest. If the base catches, lift it off immediately and transfer the clean-tasting portion to another pan without scraping the dark film from the bottom. Ça se rattrape, provided the mixture does not smell burnt.

3. 3

   Enrich the warm paste

   Take the pan off the heat and stir in the macerated fruit, currants, and any kirsch remaining in the bowl. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, until hot but no longer bubbling, then beat in the 3 yolks one at a time. Add the melted butter in three additions, stirring each one fully into the paste before adding the next. The butter may shine at the edges at first; keep stirring off the heat and the starch and yolks will draw it into a smooth emulsion. Spread the mixture in a wide bowl and leave it until barely warm, about 10 minutes. A hot base cooks the whites on contact and steals their lift.

4. 4

   Whip the whites

   Put all 5 whites in a spotless, dry bowl. Beat at medium speed until foamy, then at medium-high speed until they form stiff, glossy peaks whose tips hold upright. Stop there. Whites beaten until dry and grainy refuse to fold; if the surface begins to look rough, stop the machine and finish with a few turns of the whisk by hand.

5. 5

   Fold at the last

   Stir one quarter of the whipped whites firmly into the biscuit base to loosen it. This first portion is allowed to lose its air. Fold in the rest in two additions with a broad spatula, cutting down through the centre, sweeping along the bottom, and turning the mixture over itself. If the first addition seems to vanish, don't keep working it. Ça se rattrape: add the remaining foam gently and stop while a few pale streaks remain. Overfolding is what makes the pudding poach heavy.

   Fold the whites only when the prepared dish and bain-marie are waiting. The foam begins surrendering its air as soon as it meets the butter-rich base.
6. 6

   Poach in bain-marie

   Spoon the batter into the buttered dish and level it with no more than two strokes. Place the roasting pan in the oven, then pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the dish. This is the bain-marie, a hot-water bath that lets the eggs set gently and evenly. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the pudding is risen, butter-gold on top, firm around the edges, and softly trembling at the centre. A skewer should emerge with moist crumbs but no liquid batter, or the centre should register about 170°F (77°C). If the water begins boiling hard, add a cup of cool water to the bath and lower the oven slightly; fierce heat tightens the custard.

7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Lift the pudding dish carefully from the bain-marie and let it rest for 15 minutes. The centre will finish setting while the crumb stays tender. Bring it to the table in its baking dish and serve generous spoonfuls with the warm apricot sauce passed separately. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose crisp, dry ladyfingers, often sold as biscuits à la cuillère or savoiardi. Soft cake-style fingers contain too much moisture and give the base less structure; if yours bend rather than snap, dry them for 10 minutes in a low oven before crushing.
• •The entry gives five ounces of candied fruit but leaves the currants unmeasured. One ounce is the honest home quantity: enough dark fruit to punctuate the sweeter dice without changing the pudding's stated balance.
• •Kirsch is part of the flavour, not a decorative splash. Toss the fruit once during maceration, and add any liquid left in the bowl to the biscuit paste so none of that cherry perfume is lost.
• •Warm the apricot sauce only until it pours in a thick ribbon. If it is stiff, loosen the finished sauce with a spoonful of hot water; if it is thin, warm it gently until it coats the spoon.
• •The two unused yolks will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Press a piece of parchment directly against their surface so they do not dry.

Advance Preparation

• •The candied fruit and currants may macerate in the kirsch for up to 1 day in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature before adding them to the biscuit base.
• •The biscuit mixture can be prepared through the butter up to 6 hours ahead, covered, and chilled. Let it return to room temperature until pliable before folding in freshly whipped whites.
• •For a dinner party, bake the pudding up to 2 hours ahead. Rewarm it for 15 to 20 minutes at 300°F (150°C) in a fresh bain-marie. It will stand a little lower, but the crumb remains tender. Warm the apricot sauce separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 275g)