Chocolate for breakfast.

I asked my son what he wanted for breakfast the other day and after 2 seconds of thinking, he said "chocolate". I initially said no but then again, Germans have their Nutella on bread for breakfast, the French have Chocolate Croissants and the Americans err... Coco Pops. So perhaps it is possible to have chocolate for breakfast after all. The challenge though, is how to make sure it is not just chocolate but perhaps with some kind of bread and milk too. Then I thought, hey wait a minute! Didn't the Domestic Goddess Nigella have a recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding? Granted she said it was dessert, but I am sure that she will have no objections to eating it for breakfast too, considering her whole attitude towards food for pleasure. And it has milk and eggs too, stuff people regularly eat for breakfast. And 70% dark chocolate has been proven to contribute to an overall healthy being. Okay, the sugar is a lot in her recipe, but I can reduce it. And serving the Chocolate Bread Pudding with berries on the side will make it even better right? And thus, I was sold. Thank you my little son for letting me have chocolate for breakfast. Oh wait, it is actually for you!

The Chocolate Bread Pudding

• First, you need half a loaf of white bread or croissants or french loaf or dinner rolls. Or anything white as wholemeal and rye or soudough don't really go with this recipe. I have even used Turkish flat bread coz I tend to freeze leftover white bread so that when the mood strikes to make this recipe - voila! I have bread!
• 500ml full fat milk (if you use low fat milk - it's on you!)
• 250ml cream (the original recipe uses double cream but I just use regular whipping cream)
• 3 large eggs
• 75 grams brown or white sugar (the original calls for 90g)
• 150 grams of dark chocolate, broken into pieces. Or use chocolate chips.
• A splosh of vanilla extract

Ready? Set. Go!

Cut the bread into cubes and pile them onto a casserole dish. Scatter the chocolate onto, into, around and between the bread cubes. I like to make sure that the chocolate pieces are evenly distributed for a melty chocolate satisfaction in every bite.

In a measuring jug, measure out 500ml of milk, add a 250g carton of cream, 3 eggs, vanilla and sugar and stir. Pour this custard mixture onto the bread pieces and gleefully press your hands (or a spoon) onto the bread and custard mixture to ensure all that the bread pieces soak up all all the eggy milky goodness. Let it sit for at least half an hour though you can also cover it with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight for a hot-from-the-oven dessert-breakfast the next day, which was what I chose to do.

When you are ready, set the oven to 180 degrees. Slip the casserole dish with the chocolatey bread mixture onto the oven and bake until brown and puffed up, about 30 minutes though it might take up to 45 minutes, depending on your oven.

I have used many bread types for this and have found croissants to give the best guilty-pleasure inducing result. Thus when I want to serve this for dessert, I use croissants and serve it with salted caramel. But when I serve this for breakfast, I use baguette and serve it with a side of fruits for a "healthier" option. However, having said that, I not only skipped the fruits, but also poured extra cream on top instead for my portion hehehe. Hey, do as I say okay, not as I do (I have been repeating this to my son quite often nowadays...)

Either way, I get my chocolate dose for the day. And dessert before ANY meal. And my son gets his wish. Winners all around and happy tummies too.

Mission accomplished.