Hot Lemon Soufflé Custard

For my 200th blog post, I thought I'd share one of my all-time favourite puddings.  It's no coincidence that it is a lemon pudding, but this time it is a fabulously hot, spongy pudding with a delicious secret lemony custardy layer at the bottom.  Amazing on a cold winter's day, this pudding is not only fabulous, but very easy to make.  It disappears with surprising speed too!  In my last book, I cooked one with orange and rhubarb, but the original lemon version is still my family's most requested pudding.  Those who watch GBBO will know it as a "self saucing pudding" which elevates it to another plane entirely!

Hot Lemon Soufflé Custard

Hot Lemon Soufflé Custard

1oz/25g softened butter

8oz/225g caster sugar

grated rind and juice of 2 ½ lemons (3 if they are small)

4 eggs, separated

2oz/50g flour (or a blend)

16 floz/475ml milk

Boil a kettle of water, butter a 2.5 pint/1.4 litre ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 200 deg C.    Put the butter, sugar, lemon rind and juice, egg yolks and flour into a food processor and blend thoroughly.  Add the milk slowly through the funnel.  

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff (but not dry and powdery) and fold into the mixture (I usually do it the other way round as it is difficult to fold into a processor bowl!).   When it is reasonably well mixed, ie, not too many egg white islands, pour into the greased dish. 

Stand the dish in a large oven tin and pour the boiling water around it.    Cook for about 35 minutes until it is risen and browned (and the top is set and spongy to the touch).  If it is browning too quickly, put a piece of foil over the top.    Serve hot with cream (for the ultimate in decadence!).