Bread & Butter Pudding (Helen Mirren)

This recipe sounds like it's fit for a queen... take a stab at this tasty recipe for Bread and Butter Pudding. This recipe is courtesy of The Brooke, the UK's largest overseas equine welfare charity, learn more at www.thebrooke.org. Helen suggests that leave the dish for about 30 minutes after baking so it will be the perfect "warm" temperature to serve with vanilla ice cream. Yummmm.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 thick slices of brown or white bread
  
• raisins
  
• 1 cup whole milk
  
• 1/2 cup cream
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 3/8 cup sugar
  
• unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Butter the slices of bread, cut into quarters and arrange in layers in a buttered ovenproof dish, sprinkling each layer with the raisins.
   
3. Heat the milk and cream together in a small non-stick pan. In a separate bowl, break the eggs and beat, then gradually add the sugar. When the milk and cream reaches the boil, remove from heat and pour over the eggs & sugar mixture, beating constantly.
   
4. Pour the mixture through a sieve onto the layers of bread. Place the ovenproof dish in a baking rray half-filled with water and bake for 40 minutes.
   
5. Let cool and serve with ice cream.