Bread and Butter Pudding with Lemon Curd (delicious!)

Oven: approx.150/80 C.
Ingredients
Approx. 6- 8 slices of slightly stale white bread - crusts removed, buttered on both sides and cut into triangles.

1/2 pt. milk
3.1/2 fl. ozs of either creme fraiche, sweet or sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup or Honey
2 large eggs 
2 ozs. of demerara sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 jar of Lemon Curd
a handful of raisins

Instructions:
1. Butter a loaf dish/tin well, and place your first layer of bread triangles on the base.
2. Sprinkle some of the raisins and pinches of cinnamon scattered over the top
3. Dollop** and lightly spread some lemon curd over.
3. Continue layering, (reversing the triangle's direction),  until about an inch from the top of the dish.   
SEE TIP BELOW.

 4. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, Maple Syrup/honey and vanilla essence and pour carefully over the bread.  The liquid should cover the raisins so they dont burn when baking, though you could omit these  on the top.*
5, Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes, so the liquid soaks well into the bread.  This also makes it lighter and  fluffier.

Bake for approx. 45 mins. (till custard is set and is going slightly golden)

Serve hot/warm with cream - but it's just as nice cold.  In fact - delicious!

*TIP: I put a piece of slightly dampened sheet of greaseproof paper over the pud, before baking, pressing down gently.  Buttered foil would be fine.

 

** technical term :)