Egyptian bread and butter pudding (Om Ali)

I have had my eye on this dessert ever since I bought a bargain copy of Nigella Lawson’s How To Be A Domestic Goddess.  She describes it as an ‘Egyptian bread and butter pudding’, which I suppose it is.  You make it by cooking (shop-bought) filo pastry then breaking it up, layering it with dried fruit and nuts, pouring over some cream and sprinkling the top with nutmeg.

It is a fragrant, delicious and refined comfort pudding, and it’s Middle Eastern twist will be sure to impress!  I think I will make it for my mum, and will be recommending it to my niece/budding chef Tess (she has blended her own Indian spices so this will be a doddle..)  Allow about 40 mins to make Om Ali, and serve it with cream.

For two equally fragrant main dishes from nearby Morocco (coley with couscous/baked feta with tabbouleh) click here https://katielovescooking.wordpress.com/category/moroccan/

Ingredients for Egyptian bread and butter pudding (serves 8)

200g ready rolled filo pastry (available in supermarkets)

100g butter, melted, plus more for greasing

60g raisons/sultanas

75g dried apricots, diced small

75g flaked almonds

50g pistachios, chopped

50g pine nuts

600ml full-fat milk

300ml double cream

100g caster sugar

Ground (or fresh) nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees/gas mark 2.  Paint the filo sheets with melted butter and crumble loosely like wet rags, dividing them between 2 baking sheets.  Cook for about 20 mins until they turn crispy and golden.

Now turn up the oven to 240 degrees/gas mark 9.  Butter the dish you’re using and crumble one third of the filo pastry in to it to cover the bottom, then sprinkle the raisons, apricots and nuts on top, and continue layer by layer until it is used up (the top layer should be the crumbled filo).  Heat the milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then pour it over the filo and fruit layers and sprinkle with several generous shakes of nutmeg.  Put the dish back in the oven for about 15 mins until the top is lightly browned and billowed up with the heat.  Serve.

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