Rich Chocolate and Croissant pudding
Chocolate Croissant Pudding
Apparently there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the origins of Croissants! Here I was sitting here, minding my own business thinking that some friendly French fellow randomly came up with the idea of making crescent shaped pastries as opposed to the round kind, but ‘Noo!’, it’s far more scandalous then that!
Legend (that’s right! Legend) has it that the Croissant originated in Budapest in 1686, when the Turks were besieging the city. To reach the centre of the town, they dug underground passages. Bakers, working during the night, heard the noise made by the Turks and gave the alarm. The invaders were horror-struck and the bakers who had saved the city were granted the privilege of making a special pastry which had to take the form of a crescent in memory of the emblem on the Ottoman flag."---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang, [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 338)
Now I have two problems with this legend. Numero Uno, since when did bakers bake all night long, day-in and day-out, especially when invaders are invading? It’s like “Oh! A bomb just went off! Wait up, my Sour dough isn’t quite done yet”. And Numero Duo, how in the world did bakers save this city? Don’t tell me they got out their rolling pins and waved them around and this scared off the turks?! This is a telling time! Boys and girls don’t believe every legend that you hear! But do believe me when I say that this is a delicious pudding! Maximum chocolate taste in minimum time!
Chocolate and Croissant pudding
Ingredients: 3 croissants, ½ cup Nutella, 2 cups milk, 100g dark chocolate chopped, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 3 eggs lightly beaten
Steps: Preheat the oven to moderate-low, 150 degrees Celsius. Cut each croissant into 4 pieces on the diagonal. Spread one side of the croissant with the Nutella and the place in a 3 litre shallow ovenproof dish, overlapping each other.
Combine the milk, chocolate and sugar in a small saucepan, and stir over low heat until the chocolate melts. Whisk the milk mixture into the eggs in a medium bowl. Then pour the milk mixture over the croissant slices and bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set in the centre. Serve hot dusted with icing sugar!
Serves4-6
