Page 390 - Cupcakes

6 slices white bread (5 to 6 ounces total; see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)

2 cups milk
2 large eggs

½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-cup cupcake pan (each cup 2½
inches in diameter) with the soft butter and set it aside.

2. Place the brandy and the currants in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven
on high power until the brandy has warmed, 20 seconds. Remove and let the
currants soak.

3. Meanwhile, slice the crusts off the bread slices and discard the crusts or save
them for bread crumbs. Cut the bread into small (¼ to ½ inch) cubes. You need 3
cups of bread cubes. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the bread cubes into each of
the cupcake cups and set the pan aside.

4. Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it come just to a
boil. While the milk is heating, beat the eggs in a mediumsize bowl. Whisk in
the sugar until the mixture is lemon-colored, 1 minute. When the milk is hot but
not boiling, remove the pan from the heat. Measure out ½ cup milk and whisk it
into the egg mixture. Slowly whisk the egg mixture back into the hot milk in the
pan. Place the pan back over medium heat and whisk the entire mixture until it

begins to thicken, about 2 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat, stirring
constantly for another minute.

5. Strain the brandy from the currants and add it, along with the vanilla and
cinnamon, to the custard, stirring to combine. Scatter the currants over the top of
the bread, about 1 teaspoon for each cupcake. Pour the custard mixture over the
bread and currants in each cup, filling it very full.

the Cupcake Doctor says...