Classic Delia Smith queen of puddings is a lemony breadcrumb custard under warm raspberry jam and meringue, and one dish serves 4 to 6. You soak the crumbs in hot milk for 20 minutes, bake the custard at 180°C until set, then add the jam and meringue. It is ready to serve in about 1½ hours.
The version on her website is adapted from her Complete Illustrated Cookery Course, and Delia likes it warm from the oven with cold pouring cream. It is still good cold, her website adds, so a leftover portion makes a fine treat the next day.
Her Puddings collection (2006) prints a smaller version for 4, with 2 eggs and only 3 tablespoons of jam. Her Individual Queen of Puddings, in the third How to Cook book, swaps the raspberry jam for morello cherry conserve.
At Christmas she makes it with a spiced cranberry compote instead of jam. It is a nod to the year her Christmas book sold the shops out of cranberries, when the papers called her the Cranberry Queen.
Delia Smith Raspberry Queen of Puddings
A lemony breadcrumb custard, a layer of warm raspberry jam and a crisp meringue top, all baked in one pie dish.
6
servings10
minutes1
hour15
minutes275
kcalIngredients
- For the base:
570ml (1 pint) milk
110g (4oz) white breadcrumbs, from slightly stale bread
25g (1oz) golden caster sugar
grated zest of 1 small lemon
1 rounded teaspoon butter, plus extra for the dish
3 large eggs, separated
- For the topping:
6 rounded dessertspoons raspberry jam (about 175g)
40g (1½oz) caster sugar, plus a heaped teaspoon
Directions
- Dish: Butter an 850ml pie dish well.
- Soak: Bring the milk to the boil, then take it off the heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs, sugar, lemon zest and butter, and leave for 20 minutes so the crumbs swell.
- Oven: Heat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas mark 4.
- Base: Beat the egg yolks lightly, stir them into the cooled crumb mixture and pour it into the dish. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until set.
- Jam: Meanwhile, melt the jam gently in a small pan. Spread it evenly over the hot pudding as soon as it comes out.
- Meringue: Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the 40g of caster sugar. Spoon it round the edge first, then over the middle, and fill any gaps with the back of the spoon.
- Bake: Sprinkle the heaped teaspoon of sugar over and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the meringue is lightly browned.
- Serve: Serve warm with chilled pouring cream.
Notes
- Have the whites ready to whisk as the base comes out. That way the jam is still warm when the meringue goes on, which is my own tip.
FAQs
Which bread makes the best crumbs?
Slightly stale white bread is best, and her website whizzes it in a mini chopper to make the 110g of crumbs. Her Puddings book (2006) simply asks for fresh white breadcrumbs, so either works.
My own tip is to cut away any very hard crusts first.
Why leave the crumbs for 20 minutes?
The hot milk needs that time to soak right into the crumbs, so they swell and soften into a smooth base. Let the mixture cool a little before the yolks go in, so the eggs do not start to cook.
How do I stop the topping shrinking?
Whisk the whites in a spotlessly clean bowl, because any trace of grease stops them reaching stiff peaks. Delia then spoons the meringue around the rim and fills in the centre afterwards.
Sealing it to the edge of the dish helps stop it shrinking back as it bakes, which is my own explanation. Her meringue page shows the whisking stages in more detail.
Why did my pudding sink?
Her website says a sinking queen of puddings is most likely undercooked. Your oven may be running a little cool, or the base needed a few more minutes to set.
Check that the base feels firm in the centre before the jam goes on.
Can I make a bigger one for 10 to 12?
Yes, her website suggests doubling everything, but the dish should not be too deep. Keep the oven at 180°C. Allow roughly 10 minutes more for the base and 5 more for the meringue, although that timing has not been tested.
Her Puddings book gives a similar note for 8 people, with a 1.75 litre dish and a little extra time for both stages.
How do I make her cranberry queen of puddings?
Her Cranberry Queen of Puddings, in Delia’s Happy Christmas (2009), serves 6 to 8 and swaps the jam for a spiced cranberry compote. Make the base with 850ml of milk, 175g of white breadcrumbs and 20g of butter. Then add 40g of caster sugar, the zest of 1 large lemon and the yolks of 3 eggs.
For the compote, simmer 200g of cranberries gently with 40g of caster sugar and the zest and juice of a small orange. Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger and ¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon too. After about 25 minutes, most of the juice should have gone.
Bake the base in a buttered 1.2 litre dish at 180°C until set, allowing 30 to 40 minutes, and spread the compote over. Top it with meringue made from the 3 whites and the remaining 35g of sugar, and give it 18 to 20 minutes to brown.
