Queen of Puddings

An old-fashioned English dessert, a Queen of Puddings will make you feel like you've stepped into a Jane Austen novel with layers of custard, jam, and meringue to delight your senses.

For the first 30 years of my life, I had only ever read about England in books or seen it in movies. It seemed to be imbued with ancient power, the rocks and streams and trees and flowers all alive with magic. And of course, there was the tragic romance of it all. A whole country full of people bursting with feelings they couldn't express. But you never thought much about the food.

British food has a terrible reputation, but I've learned to appreciate its subtle simplicity, as well as its resourcefulness. Ever practical, English food is always using what is available to make something delicious, if a bit weird to my American experience. And yet, it's all just as beautiful as the rest of the country.

What makes a Queen of Puddings so awesome?

I originally came across this traditional dessert in a Nigella Lawson book, of course, but it's also something I've seen Mary Berry and other famous English food personalities make. It uses stale bread crumbs to create a firm custard. It's sweetened with jam, raspberry being my favorite, and topping with a toasted meringue layer that lends a unique texture to the whole affair.

Does it make sense on paper? Not to me. Does it make sense in your mouth? Absolutely! If you want to make a feast reminiscent of your favorite English novels, definitely put a Queen of Puddings on your dessert table. It will feel like English summertime.

Make it magical

Sometimes the clue can be in the name when it comes to turning a recipe into a spell. Of course, you could work with the fertility energy of both eggs and raspberries, or call in other properties from any of the ingredient. But you could also set an intention to imbue this recipe with regal energy. Put your Queens from your favorite Tarot deck on your kitchen altar as you mix the ingredients. Shape the meringue in a crown-like fashion to suggest the power and dignity of Queen energy. Then serve this up to your favorite women to remind them of their power.

For more on the magical properties of the ingredients in this recipe, check the Kitchen Magick page.

Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this dessert. All the details are in the recipe card below.

• Brioche bread - You want stale bread here because we'll be bring it up into fine crumbs. I used brioche fingers this time, but sliced brioche will also work.
• Butter
• Milk - whole milk is ideal
• Lemon - You'll need both the zest and juice
• Sugar
• Salt
• Eggs - You'll need to separate your eggs and whip the whites, so room temp is best.
• Jam - Use your personal favorite

Tips for making Queen of Puddings

We're making a sort of custard as our base layer. You'll need to blitz your brioche into fine crumbs in a food processor. Then you'll heat your butter and milk together to melt the butter and warm the milk. Then whisk in the egg yolks, and pour that over the bread crumbs and let it soak. Bake the custard until set.

You'll combine jam and lemon juice to make it a bit more spreadable and spread that evenly over your baked custard. Then you'll pile on your egg whites, beaten with sugar to stiff peaks. Here's where you can get creative making swoops and peaks and valleys with your meringue. Pop that back in the oven and bake until the megingue turns golden.

So are you ready to be transported to old England and eat a Queen of Puddings at a picnic while wearing a corset? Okay, you can skip the corset, but definitely don't skip dessert.

Looking for more awesome British treats? Try some Classic British Scones or a One Bowl Victoria Sponge Cake.

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Recipe from At My Table by Nigella Lawson.