Bread and Butter Pudding with Apricots and Pecans

Step 1

For the vanilla sauce

1. Prepare a custard cream:
Pour the milk alternative in a heavy bottom saucepan. Reserve 2 Tbsp to be added to the dry ingredients. Bring to the boil.
Meanwhile, in a mixer, whisk together the cashew butter, sugar, cornflour, vanilla essence and the reserved liquid.
Out of the heat, pour this mix over the boiling milk and whisk until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
Bring back to a low heat and stir continuously until the mixture starts bubbling and thickens.

2. Let it cool down. Pour the cream and milk alternative in the custard and whisk until you reach a smooth consistency.

Step 2

For the bread and butter pudding

1. Soak the dried apricots in warm water for 2 hrs at least. Dry them in a clean tea towel, and cut them in chunks.
2. Preheat the oven 160C / gas 3.
3. Cut 6 discs in the brioche or loaf slices, same size as the casseroles.
4. Soak the first disc in the vanilla sauce for about 2 mins and place it in the bottom of the cassolette. Spread ½ tsp of apricot jam on the brioche and sprinkle some coconut sugar, apricot chunks and crushed pecans.
5. Repeat these steps a second time.
Finish with a layer of brioche and pour the remaining sauce evenly over the pudding.
Do not put the apricots and pecans yet, they would burn during the baking.
6. Bake in a bain-marie for about 40 mins.
7. Sprinkle with brown sugar, apricots, pecans and optionally some edible flowers.