Chai Bread And Butter Pudding

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 eggs
• 300 ml double cream
• 15 cardamoms
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 ginger, grated
• 1 sea salt
• 400 ml milk
• 150 g golden caster sugar, plus 1 heaped tbsp for topping
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon, broken
• 50 g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 125 g mixed dried fruit
• 8 allspice cloves
• 2 tbsp loose indian tea leaves, preferably assam
• 300 g brioche loaf, thickly sliced

Method

1. Crush the cardamom pods and cloves in a pestle and mortar until the pods split and the cloves break coarsely — you want the oils released, not a powder. Whole spices that aren't cracked open will steep weakly and taste of nothing.
2. Tip the crushed spices into a medium saucepan with the milk, grated nutmeg, ground ginger, golden caster sugar, vanilla extract, tea leaves, broken cinnamon stick, and strips of orange peel. Add a generous pinch of flaked sea salt — sweet puddings need salt to lift the spice, not mute it.
3. Set over a low heat and bring slowly to a bare simmer, stirring now and then. Let it tick along for 5 minutes — the warm milk blooms the ground ginger and nutmeg so they taste of themselves, not dusty pantry; the kitchen should smell unmistakably of chai.
4. Pull the pan off the heat and leave to steep for 10 minutes so the spices and tea draw deep into the milk. Taste it — it should be assertively spiced and faintly tannic. Adjust for salt now if it tastes flat against the sugar.
5. Meanwhile, generously butter a shallow ovenproof dish (1.75–2 litres). Butter one side of each brioche slice with a heavy hand — the fat is what crisps the peaks.
6. Stand the brioche slices upright in the dish, leaning them against each other like fallen dominoes, tucking the dried fruit generously between every slice so no piece sits exposed on top where it would scorch.
7. In a jug, whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs, and double cream until smooth and glossy.
8. Strain the infused milk through a fine sieve straight into the egg mixture, stirring gently to combine — pour in a steady thin stream so you temper the eggs rather than scramble them. Discard the spices, peel, and tea leaves left behind.
9. Pour the warm custard slowly over the brioche, pressing the slices down gently with a spatula so they drink it all in. Rest for 15 minutes — don't skip this; it's where the pudding earns its softness, the bread soaking custard right through to the centre rather than sitting in a puddle.
10. While it soaks, preheat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C / Gas Mark 6.
11. Sit the dish in a roasting tin and scatter the heaped tablespoon of caster sugar evenly over the top — this is where the crackling, caramelised crust comes from, so don't be shy.
12. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the custard is just set with a gentle wobble in the middle and the peaks of brioche are deeply golden and crisp. A faint tremor at the centre when you nudge the dish is exactly right; it firms up as it rests.
13. Rest for 5 minutes, then bring it to the table straight from the dish with the jug of cold pouring cream alongside, pouring a generous slosh over each spoonful as you serve.