*Plum Bread and Butter Pudding*
Serves 4

What could be any better than Bread and Butter Pudding?  Why Plum Bread and Butter Pudding of course!  Rich and creamy and indulgently delicious, not to mention stogged full of tasty roasted plums.  What's not to like?

1 punnet of dark red plums
(about 8 plums)
1 cup of caster sugar, plus a bit to spoon into the plums (190g)
1/2 loaf of coarse stale bread sliced
softened butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (335ml)
1/2 cup of whole milk (120 ml)
4 large free range eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.  Wash the plums and cut in half.  Remove the stones and then place them into a baking dish, skin side down.  Place approximately 1/2 tsp of caster sugar into the centre of each.  Bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes or so, just until the juices begin to run.  Remove from the oven and set aside.  Turn the oven temperature down to 180*C/350*F.

Trim all the crusts off of the bread.  (I always give them to the birds)  Cut the bread into 1 inch wide strips.  Butter them on both sides generously.  Lightly butter a 6 by 8 inch glass baking dish. 

Whisk together the eggs and the sugar, whisking until the sugar is almost dissolved. Whisk the milk and the cream together in a large beaker along with the vanilla paste.  Slowly whisk in the egg mixture, whisking until you have a nice creamy custard like solution.  Sit aside.

Place the bread into the baking dish, by placing three strips across, almost upright, but not quite.  Place a plum half on each.  Place another three strips in front of the plums.  Place another three plum halves on each.  Repeat until all the bread strips and plum halves have been used.  I also cut several strips into smaller pieces and tuck them in all the way around the pudding, kind of like a frame.

Pour the custard slowly onto the bread in the pudding, in and around the plums.  Allow the bread to absorb the custard, before pouring on more.  Add custard until the bread can't absorb any more.  Drizzle any plum juices over top and then place into the oven.  Baked for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sides of the pudding are set and the top is nicely puffed and lightly browned.  The centre should still be a bit jiggly.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool to warm.  Cut into slabs to serve.  We like to serve this with additional cream for pouring over top.