Bread Pudding

THERE are just two things I usually make with day old leftover bread - a bread pudding and French toast. Just like my mother did. Both involve essentially the same ingredients - bread, milk, sugar, eggs, essence. One is steamed while the other is shallow fried to a golden glow. Both appear at regular intervals on our dining table at tea-time because they're very easy to make, don't require planning ahead and besides, I can't think of better ways to use leftover bread. Any ideas?

What you need:

10 slices of bread
1 1/4 cups of milk
5 tablespoons of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
A few drops of vanilla essence

Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar in a pudding bowl and set on slow fire to caramelise. When it begins to turn golden brown, take off heat with a pair of kitchen tongs and twirl around to coat the sides and base evenly. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, tear bread slices into bits and combine with the milk, eggs, essence and the rest of the sugar. (Taste a little of the mix and add more sugar if you like it sweeter.) Pack firmly into the pudding bowl. Cover and seal the bowl with foil, folding the foil in the centre to make a pleat. Steam in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes.

Loosen edges with a butter knife and invert on to serving plate. Cut in wedges and serve either warm or cold.

PS: My kids prefer the plain pudding as above, but you can spice it up a bit by buttering the slices of bread, or adding some jam, or dry fruit and nuts to the mix. A pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon too, perhaps?