Queen of puddings [GF|DF]

After this weeks charity bake off I thought I’d give Paul Hollywood’s queen of puddings a go. I have adapted the recipe to make it both gluten free and dairy free. If like me, you struggle to lift heavy things out of the oven, get some help as the water bath/bake tray they sit in during the first bake gets quite heavy. Makes 6 small ramekins.

Ingredients
For the custard:
400ml almond milk
1/2 a vanilla pod
25g caster sugar
3 large egg yolks

For the pudding:
80g of gluten free brioche (I just used a small roll).
6 tbsp strawberry or raspberry jam

For the meringue:
3 large egg whites
150g caster sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160*C/140*C fan.
2. Grease ramekins.
3. Blitz the brioche in a food processor until it becomes a crumb and put an equal amount into each ramekin.
4. Make a start on the custard.
5. Pour the milk into a saucepan with the vanilla, split the pod and scrape out the seeds. Throw the pod in as well and bring just to the boil. Once it reaches the boil remove from heat immediately.
6. Whisk egg yolks and 25g of caster sugar. Strain and pour the milk into to the yolk mixture continuing to whisk as it’s added to form a custard.
7. Pour custard into the ramekins containing the brioche and let stand for 5 minutes.
8. Stand ramekins in a roasting tin filled halfway with boiling water and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the custard sets.
9. Set aside to cool.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 150*C/130*C fan.
11. Once custard is cooled add in a layer of jam on top of the custard.
12. Make meringue, start by whisking up the egg whites until they form white stiff peaks.
13. Add in the 150g of caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, continuously whisking until meringue makes stiff peaks again and is glossy in appearance.
14. With about a quarter of the meringue fill the ramekins up with a layer of meringue.
15. Pipe the remaining meringue into kisses on the very top.
16. Bake for 15 mins until lightly golden.
17. Allow to cool slightly and serve.

*With any leftover meringue mixture, you can make little meringue kisses, which I put in the oven to bake along with the puddings.