Whilst delving through my old Food Magazine’s I came across my beloved copy of “The Dairy Book of Family Cookery”. My Mum gave me this book in the 1980″s, I can’t exactly remember which year, but I know the book was originally published in 1983 and I had it before I left home in my “Bottom Drawer Box”, long before I left home in 1987. There was an inscription, but that disappeared long ago, along with the cover and a few front pages & the index!
The term “Bottom Drawer”, also seems to of disappeared along with the cover of the book, but I started mine after Jasmine (My lovely Italian Mother-in-Law) told me about how in Italy young woman would collect beautiful linen for the boxes, many being hand sewn or embroidered by the young woman in readiness for when they married and set up their first home.
Another beautiful story she told me was about her wedding favours of five almonds presented in gorgeous crystal glass pots, representing fertility, longevity, wealth, health and happiness. The bitterness of the almond and the sweetness of the coated candy exemplifying the bitter sweetness of marriage, she had kept some of the little pots from her wedding and they were kept in a display cabinet, so delicate and so beautiful. Her marriage was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and the one that I set as my bench mark for true happiness.
Time changes everything and I am not always sure all change is good. I’m a traditionalist and love the old traditions and beliefs. Even Italy is changing, Antiono Carluccio & Gennaro Contaldo bring up the subject in their book and on the show, saying that young woman have careers, have Children later, many don’t have time to cook or even know how. This would of been unheard of in Italy, where Nonna taught her Daughter to cook and she in turn taught hers. Generation after generation passing on the family recipes.
This recipe is a typical of change, the recipe below is traditional, old fashioned and my Dad’s favourite, but you can call a dessert a bread and butter pudding and do all sorts to it, not that I am saying all change is bad, I love some of the new variations on the bread and butter theme, so feel free to play and adapt as much as you like. I just wanted to keep this particular recipe traditional.
Buon appetito
Serves 4
6 thin slices of white bread, crusts removed
50g English butter
50g currants or sultanas, you can mix these, but I only ever use sultanas, I love them as they are plumper & juicer
40g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 pint milk
Thickly spread bread slices with butter. Cut into fingers or small squares, triangles if you like, what ever you fancy. Put half into a 1 litre/2 pint buttered ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with all the fruit and half the sugar. I never ever put fruit on the top as I hate it when it burns.
Top with the remaining bread, buttered side uppermost. Sprinkle with the rest of the sugar.
Beat the eggs and milk well together. Strain into the dish over the bread.
Leave to stand for 30 minutes, so that the bread absorbs some of the liquid. Bake in the oven at 160c/325f, mark 3 gas for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until set and the top is crisp and golden.
Serve hot with custard or good quality vanilla ice cream.
Traditional, simple, perfect.
If you do fancy a change, you can use a selection of dried fruits from cranberries to apricots, add liqueurs, use brioche, croissants, panettone, just play and see what works for you, but most importantly enjoy and share with your loved ones.
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