Chocolate Bread Pudding

A tasty way to use up left-over French bread.

Work plan
20min preparation
30min cooking

Calories per serving: 270

Nutritional advice
Cocoa and egg-yolks are reasonable sources of iron, so make sure your main course contains vitamin C to help absorb it.

Preheat oven to 190C

Ingredients
8x 2.5cm slices of French bread
2 tbs cocoa
50g castor sugar
300ml milk
1 whole egg
2 egg-yolks
Icing sugar

Method

1. Lay the slices of bread on a baking-sheet and toast in the hot oven for about 5 min.
2. Meanwhile, combine the cocoa and half of the sugar and mix to a paste with a little of the milk.
3. Boil the remaining milk, then add to the cocoa mixture, stirring well to mix
4. Beat the egg, egg-yolks and sugar together until they are thick and light, then stir in the milk mixture.
5. Arrange the toasted bread in a shallow ovenproof dish and carefully pour on the cocoa, taking care to soak each piece evenly.
6. Place the dish in a baking-tin half filled with water and bake for 30min, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with lightly-whipped cream.

Microwave

Unsuitable for microwave cookery

Tips
Slightly stale bread is best, so don’t throw away any left-over French bread.

Storage
Unsuitable for freezing

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Savoury Stuffed Tomatoes

These tomatoes can be served as an appetiser or as a light lunch dish, with a small green salad

Work plan
20min preparation
25min cooking

Calories per serving:175

Nutritional advice
This snack is well supplied with vitamins from the B group. Cheese, wheat-germ and egg are all good sources of riboflavin (vitamin B2), essential for cell metabolism.

Ingredients
4 medium-sized tomatoes
1tbs oil
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
50g wheat-germ
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
50g Cheddar cheese, finely grated

Method

1. Rinse the tomatoes, cut them into half and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
2. Heat the oil, add the spring onions and garlic and fry for 3-4min until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes longer.
3. Stir in the beaten egg, tomato flesh, half of the wheat-germ, the thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Pile the mixture into the tomato shells.
4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining wheat-germ and the cheese and sprinkle over the tomatoes.
5. Bake for 20-25 min until golden brown then serve immediately with buttered wholemeal bread

Microwave
1. As conventional method.
2. Place the oil, spring onions and garlic in a bowl and cook on high for 2min. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2min.
3. As conventional method
4. As conventional method
5. Arrange the tomatoes in a circle and cook on high for 7-8 minutes. Leave to stand for 2-3min before serving conventionally.

Tips

Stuffed tomatoes are also an excellent vegetable to serve with plain meat or cheese dishes.

Storage
Unsuitable for freezing