Dreaming of Bread and Butter Pudding

Directions

1. Put the raisins in the Port wine to soak. Set aside.
2. Split the vanilla bean in half, remove the seeds and add to a pan with the milk and cream. Gently bring to the boil, remove from the heat and let infuse and cool down.
3. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until well blended. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and add it in a stream, whisking until very well mixed, scraping all the vanilla seeds from the pan. Set aside.
4. Butter well a rectangular serving dish that can go in the oven.
5. Trim the crusts of the brioche and butter one of the sides of the bread slices. Cut the bread so you get triangles of bread. Arranje the bread so you have one of the triangle corner facing up and put the slices of bread so the triangle tops are not aligned, The whole dish should be full of slightly inclined brioche triangles. (dish is more or less 12 by 9 inches).
6. Sprinkle 3/4 of the raisins between the bread slices (open them a little and distribute evenly. Pour the milk and yolk custard evenly over the bread, gently press the bread so it all soaks (don't squash the triangle tops), sprinkle with the remaining raisins and pour the Port wine over the bread. Let rest for 30 to 60 minutes so bread soaks well.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the middle of the oven.
8. Cook the pudding for around 20 minutes or until it is golden brown and the cream is set. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top and leave in the oven for another 5 minutes.
9. Put the pudding on a wire rack to cool to warm and serve warm.