After our good and filling Welsh duck dinner last weekend, we wanted our next recipe to be a bit healthier, and a bit less labor intensive. After flipping through our cookbook, Favourite Welsh Recipes by A. de Breanski Jr., we came across this recipe for Monmouth Pudding and knew it would make for a great breakfast.
The recipe is described in the book as one that was often served in Victorian times and was ideal for children and adults with “delicate digestions.” It’s basically a bread pudding that incorporates strawberry preserves. Traditional Monmouth pudding will reveal red and white stripes when served; however we opted to pick health over beauty with this one. While using white bread crumbs would no doubt make this a striking dish, the whole wheat bread crumbs don’t have quite the same aesthetic effect. That said, despite its lackluster appearance, it’s really a more healthy alternative.
We started by bringing the milk, butter and sugar to a boil.
We then added the boiling liquid to the bowl with our whole wheat bread crumbs and set it aside to cool.
Once it was sufficiently cooled down we mixed in the yolk of three eggs.
We then scooped half of the batter into 12 muffin tins and turned our attention to the fruity filling. We used both strawberry preserves and a raspberry fruit curd which I found in an all-things-British store in the middle of Wisconsin. Incidentally it’s the same store where I found this cookbook – Wisconsin of all places. Who knew. Anyway, we then microwaved both the preserves and the curd for a few seconds to melt it a bit and spooned out some of the preserves into six of the tins and the curd in the other six tins.
We then repeated the process using the remaining batter and topping it with the final scoop of preserves and curd.
The pudding baked for 45 minutes at 350F, at which point the batter had set and it came out bubbling hot. We scooped the pudding out and served it hot with fresh fruit and a dollop of butter.
The Monmouth pudding was a hit. It tasted just like a buttery and hot piece of toast, only better. It is an absolute comfort food and makes for a delicious and filling breakfast. Mike, Mr. N and I all gave the pudding 3 spoons. Miss A was a bit unsure of her breakfast though. We even tried offering her some maple syrup to go with it, but she still wasn’t buying it. She did eat a few bites and said it was good, but then ran off to play. So we’re not sure if she liked it and just wasn’t hungry, or if she was just being polite. Either way, we’ll say she gave it 2 spoons.
I’m anxious to try this recipe again. Next time I’m going to bake it in four individual ramekins and sprinkle it with some oats. I think the presentation might be a little more appealing and the oats would add a nice bit of texture. That said, we were happy to have found another tasty breakfast recipe for those mornings we feel like more than a bowl of cereal. It was a Monmouth success. 😉
Print this recipe: Monmouth Pudding
I agree with Geni..it looks rich and comforting indeed..
LikeLike
And the butter is totally optional on the topping. I loved the butter, but Mike liked his without. Either way it was warm and toasty. 🙂
LikeLike
Wow, this looks super yummy! Perfect for autumn, so cozy. Love it!
LikeLike
It will be great this winter too. 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, this is so earthy and scrumptious looking. I don’t think it is ugly at all. I think it looks rich and comforting. I would love to have a scoop right now. Mmmmm…..
LikeLike
Rich and comforting are both very good descriptions! 🙂
LikeLike
How can you go wrong with something like pudding for breakfast?! I like that it is good for “delicate digestions” haha! (Is that totally immature that I find that funny??:p)
LikeLike
Well, if it’s immature, I’m right there with you. 🙂 I thought that was pretty funny too.
LikeLike
I’ve never really tried bread pudding, but after reading some blog posts this week, I think I might try it. I like how you pre-portioned them in the muffin tin. The raspberry curd looks so gourmet. 🙂
LikeLike
The only other bread pudding we’ve had is the Yorkshire pudding we made a while back, but this was our first sweet bread pudding. I don’t think it will be our last though. 🙂
LikeLike
This looks so nice and homey. I’m really curious to try it! Your photos are great. I’m glad I found your blog!
LikeLike
Thanks so much! You made my day. 🙂 I’m thinking this will be a great recipe for winter as well.
LikeLike
I think it looks lovely! I’ve never really been a huge bread pudding fan, but this doesn’t sound bad at all. 🙂 (And so impressed with the store in Wisconsin!)
LikeLike
You and me both! That store was such a great find. They even had samples available of all of the curds and preserves. So good!
LikeLike
Wow, I never tried this either – looks so delicious. Is this the fruit curd which you bought some months ago which you finally found a use for? 😀
LikeLike
This is the exact fruit curd I told you about a few months ago. This was a darn good use for it too. I’m still planning to try it in oatmeal too – per your suggestion. 🙂
LikeLike
What a gourmet breakfast, it sounds fantastic. I think I’d give it three plus spoons. Individual servings are always great, then you don’t really have to share. 😉
LikeLike
Exactly Caroline! Exactly! 😉
LikeLike
A lovely treat for the upcoming Autumn weather. I love the use the of the preserves in the recipe. It really looks like comfort food.
LikeLike
Thanks Eva! It was wonderfully comforting – and filling. 🙂
LikeLike
Ha, now I get your pudding comment. This looks wonderful. I love the individual servings too.
LikeLike
I’m thinking you could whip up a good sauce to go with this one too. 🙂
LikeLike
Wow, that looks incredible!! What an interesting recipe, I need to try it!
LikeLike
Thanks Dawn! It’s definitely a filling and comforting breakfast. I’m planning to make it again this winter. 🙂
LikeLike
Look at that butter concoction of goodness with the toastiness. I don’t think I just used actual words there but oh well- my point is it looks amazing and so easy! I love amazing and easy:)
LikeLike
I like that – butter concoction of goodness. 🙂 And I’m with you – being easy makes this even better.
LikeLike
Breakfast at your house is warm, toasty and sweet!! This does sound like a nice treat for Sunday brunch. I imagine different flavored curds could be used for every season. Maybe Ms. A needs another try at this; it sounds like 4 spoons to me!
LikeLike
I think some pumpkin would go well with this too…in case you have leftovers on hand. 😉
LikeLike
Oh, the English love their puddings… this is a really nice recipe and sounds perfect for a fall weekend breakfast (love the raspberry curd bottle – looks so authentic). Bet my family would really like this and I agree with you about the oats – they bring such a great texture to these sorts of foods. Your pictures are really good Kristy!
LikeLike
Thanks Kelly! I keep experimenting with different locations, settings, etc. It’s been fun. 🙂
LikeLike
Scrumptious.
🙂 Mandy
LikeLike
Thanks Mandy! 🙂
LikeLike
Anything that tastes like buttery, hot toast is aces in my cookbook! It sounds delicious.
LikeLike
I think KB above said it best – buttery concoction of goodness. How could you go wrong with that?! 🙂
LikeLike
When I read the words “Monmouth pudding” I was thinking.. WHAT?!? lol. What is this and what will it look like. Then I saw that you added butter and I was SOLD. Sold into trying this buttery concoction out lol. Love this post
LikeLike
Thanks Kay! You know I had to add the butter. 🙂 And no peaches in this one either!
LikeLike
Looks and sounds to tasty. I can imagine already how it smells coming out of the oven
LikeLike
It smelled delightful. I’m telling you – on a cold winter day this is going to be a delight. 🙂
LikeLike
Sounds very tasty. 🙂
I’ve been looking up Welsh recipes cause other than the rarebit, I didn’t know any. Laverbread (seaweed) seems a bit challenging but Anglesey eggs are doable especially as I haven’t ever tried leeks and probably should.
LikeLike
We’re making the rarebit tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to that one. I’ve seen lots of recipes with the Laverbread too. We’re going to skip those. I don’t feel like hunting the stuff down. 😉 I just tried leeks a few months back. Now I love them! They are fabulous in soups and risottos. 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve never bought or cooked with leeks and really want to. Maybe a potato leek soup. Up to this point I’ve only ever had the Knorr packages of cream of leek soup. (Scandalous, I know to serve packaged soups but they’re convenient and pretty tasty.)
LikeLike
Hardly scandalous – I just made my first homemade soup this week. Until then…canned soups. They are just so convenient. Although now that I’ve actually made a soup, I’m a lot less intimidated by them. 😉
LikeLike
The only reason I call it scandalous is that I grew up with a mother who worked 6-7 days a week out of the home and still made all her own soups and never served ANYTHING that was pre-prepared (canned, frozen, packaged). I sometimes feel I’m letting her down.
I actually enjoy making my own soups and stocks to use in them. It’s been a while though and as I’m trying to empty my chest freezer by Christmas so I can defrost it, I don’t want to make big batches of stuff to fill it up.
LikeLike
zelasty reblogged this on Express yourself.
LikeLike