Guaranteed to elevate cholesterol and expand waistlines

I've stolen and modified the recipe from one of Nigella Lawson's fantastic cooking shows (Nigella Bites, I think).

I usually go into this half-remembering what I'm supposed to add, but it usually works out okay.

You could, I suppose substitute the butter for margarine, cream for something less creamy but I've never attempted that and will not guarantee the outcome if you do, wimp.

--oOo--

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Ingredients:

• Raisin bread (sultana bread in Oz, and perhaps England)
• Orange Ginger Marmalade
• individual pack of raisins / sultanas
• 500 ml thickening cream
• 250 ml milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• too much butter
• 5 eggs
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• brandy (1/4 cup for the recipe, more for personal consumption)

I use a large square casserole bowl -- use anything large and deep you can put in the oven.

Make five orange and ginger marmalade sandwiches with the raisin bread. Use lots of butter

Cut the sandwiches diagonally, ending up with 10 triangles. Stand 8 of the triangles up in the casserole dish, alternating pointy tip up and flat side up. Take the final two pieces and place them perpendicular to the 8, on either side, flat sides up.

Put the raisins in a mixture of 1/2 cup brandy, 1/2 cup water, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste and microwave for 3 minutes (or until raisins are plump, like you will be after you eat this). pour the raisin/brandy mixture over the bread.

Mix well 4 egg yolks, 1 full egg, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 500 ml cream and 250 ml milk. Save the 4 egg whites to make a really healthy omelette to assuage your guilt the next morning.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread.

Dab butter on the exposed tips of bread and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.

Stick it in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the exposed pieces of bread are crispy and the custard mixture has thickened.

Spoon out a healthy serving, add a goodly amount of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

--oOo--

I've put on a bit of weight (that I didn't really need) with this dish. Fair warning, you may want to jog for 5 or 6 hours before you eat this.

Dig in and enjoy, dear readers~

T.