Ingredients

• 15 green cardamom pods
• 8 cloves
• 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (roughly half a whole nutmeg)
• 1½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt
• 400ml/14fl oz whole milk
• 150g/5½oz golden caster sugar
• plus 1 heaped tbsp for sprinkling
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Indian leaf tea
• preferably Assam
• 1 long strip orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick
• broken in half
• 300g/10½oz brioche loaf
• thickly sliced (or 10 slices of crustless
• thickly cut white bread)
• 50g/1¾oz softened butter
• plus extra for greasing
• 125g/4½oz mixed dried fruit
• 4 large free-range egg yolks
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream

Directions

• Put the cardamom pods and cloves in a pestle and mortar and pound for about a minute
• or until the pods are split and the cloves are roughly crushed. Tip into a medium non-stick saucepan and add the nutmeg
• ginger
• salt and milk. Stir in the sugar
• vanilla
• leaf tea
• orange peel and cinnamon stick. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook over a low heat for five minutes
• stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
• Butter a 1.75-2 litre/3-3½ pint shallow ovenproof dish – a round one looks good. Spread one side of each slice of brioche with softened butter. Arrange the brioche slices in the dish
• butter side up and slightly upright but leaning against each other
• scattering the mixed dried fruit between the slices as you go.
• Whisk the egg yolks
• whole eggs and cream together in a large jug or bowl until smooth. Strain the infused milk through a fine sieve onto the egg mixture and stir well to combine. Discard the spices and peel.
• Pour the creamy liquid slowly over the buttered brioche. (The bread will float
• so press it down gently with a spatula for a few seconds to help it absorb the custard.) Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Place the dish in a roasting tin. Pour boiled water into the roasting tin around the outside of dish to come half way up the sides. Sprinkle the pudding with sugar and bake for 35-40 minutes
• or until the custard is just set
• but still just a little creamy in the centre
• and the bread is golden-brown and crisp on top.
• Remove from the oven and carefully lift out of the roasting tin. Serve hot with cream
• custard or good vanilla ice cream.