De Rigueur Bread & Butter Pudding
I was reminded at the Taipei Airport Hotel lunch buffet today of the international proliferation of the dish “bread and butter pudding.” It is actually an encouraging development, that at this moment in time when we are besieged by; MacDonald’s, KFC, Uber Eats and other fast food outlets, that occasionally the odd seam of culinary gold is rediscovered.
I will bore the pants off you now by explaining that just after the Second World War in Britain when food was scarce, our mums used to make it as the main dessert to use up any stale bread. May she forgive me in heaven, when I elaborate that she made great trays of the stuff with aforesaid bread and currents. It was moist, cut in slices, served regular with a bit of milk, and rumour had it, that it was used as ballast in the Royal Navy.
Many years later, Michael Caine the actor, and also a Londoner like myself with a humble upbringing, was staying at his usual abode in the extremely posh and expensive Dorchester Hotel where Anton Mosimann OBE, DL had been the Swiss Maitre Chef des Cuisines for thirteen years, during which time its restaurant achieved a rating of two stars in the Michelin Guide.
Apparently on that occasion Mr Caine explained that although he appreciated all the exotic rich sauce dishes of Continental Europe served in the hotel, he really would appreciate if Anton could try his skills in making “bread and butter pudding like Mum used to make.” The chef obliged. The result was a lighter, creamier version that became so popular, that it soon became a Dorchester staple.
Many five-star hotels have latched onto this trend, and I now find myself judging such establishments based on their bread and butter pudding. The results so far are gold to The Peninsular Bangkok, silver to The Caravelle in Saigon and bronze to the Novetel in Taipei.
Finally not one to hide my light under a bushel, I have tried myself in cooking different versions with some success; notably with: cream, a dash of rum, chocolate chips, even baked marmalade on the top of triangular upright bread slices.
There you have it. All I have to decide now, is which section of Literature Network Forums to post on.