Ingredients

• 1 pound red rhubarb
• Sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, preferably unsalted
• 12 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed
• 2 cups cream
• 1 cup milk
• 4 extra large free-range eggs, beaten lightly
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon extra sugar, for sprinkling on top of pudding
• Softly whipped cream
• A deep 8-inch square or round baking dish
• A water bath or roasting pan

Instructions

1. Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Put into a dish and sprinkle with sugar. Let macerate for an hour.
2. Butter the bread. Arrange four slices, buttered-side down, in one layer in the buttered baking dish. Scatter half the rhubarb over the bread, and cover with another layer of bread, buttered-side down. Scatter the remaining rhubarb on top and cover with the remaining bread, buttered-side down.
3. Whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer over the bread. Sprinkle the extra spoonful of sugar over the top. Let the mixture stand, covered loosely, for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Bake in a water bath — the water should be boiling and should come halfway up the sides of the baking dish — in the middle of the preheated oven, for about 1 hour or until the top is crisp and golden. Server the pudding warm, with some softly whipped cream.