Black Fig and Almond Bread Pudding (Greixonera)

Greixonera is a traditional Baleriac sweet bread based pudding. Packed, with fruits, nuts and spice its delicious and comforting- I vary the fruits according to the season, cherries work well in the summer as do chunks of apples and pears in the autumn months. My favourite however is with ripe black figs, their sticky juices bursting into the custard creating pink trails.

The pudding is bteer eaten at room temertaure, after its cooled and the flavours have developed.

Serves 6-8

Youll need a 24cm diameter and 6cm deep baking dish or pie tin for this recipe

500g of day old white bread, crusts removed and torn into small chunks

150g very ripe figs, cut into 6 pieces lengthwise

25g toasted slivered almonds

500ml full cream milk

500ml single cream

220g caster sugar

1 cinamon stick

2 cardomon pods, crushed

peeled zest of 1 lemon

peeled zest of 1 orange

6 free range eggs

2 table spoons sweet sherry such as oloroso

1/2tsp salt

60g muscavado sugar

butter for greasing

butter the baking dish or pie tin.

Lay the bread pieces in the tin and then scatter over the fig pieces and half the almonds.

Place the milk, caster sugar, cream, cinnamon, cardamom and zests into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat, leave to infuse for 15 minutes and then drain through a sieve.

Whisk together the eggs, sherry and salt in a bowl to combine and then whisk into the cooled milk.

Pour this mix over the bread, cover and transfer to the fridge to rest for 4 hours or over night.

Heat an oven to 170oc

Sprinkle the remaining almonds and muscavdo sugar over the top of the pudding and place in the oven. Cook for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the pudding comes out dry.