St. Clements Queen of Puddings

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‘I dug out a forgotten old pudding the other day’: St Clements queen of puddings. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer

I would usually use good-quality commercially made lemon curd for this, but others will do nicely, too, such as orange or passion fruit. It is worth leaving the pudding to settle for a while – say 15 minutes – before tucking in. 

 

Serves 6

 

 

For the custard:
soft white bread 90g
orange 1, small
lemon 1
caster sugar 75g
milk 400ml
eggs yolks 3
lemon or orange curd 8 tbsp

For the meringue:
egg whites 3
caster sugar 180g

You will also need a baking dish to hold approximately 1.5 litres.

Set the oven at 160C/gas mark 3. Reduce the bread to fine crumbs in a food processor. Grate the zest from the orange and lemon; mix with the 75g of caster sugar. Tumble all together and set aside.

Still sweet, the pudding had a lightness to it, and felt suddenly in step with the time of year

Pour the milk into a pan and bring almost to the boil. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a large bowl. Beat the yolks with a small whisk, then, still whisking, pour in the milk and mix together. Stir in the citrus-scented crumbs, then pour into a 1.5 litre baking dish and set aside for 15 minutes.

 

 

Turn the heat up to 200C/gas mark 6. Bake the custard for 25 minutes until lightly firm, then remove from the oven and set the heat to 180C/gas mark 4. Spread the curd gently over the custard. Beat the egg whites and sugar until thick – they should stand in firm peaks – then spoon them over the pudding. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or so until the peak of the meringue is golden.

Remove from the oven and leave to settle for 15 minutes before serving.