Crème anglaise Bring the milk, cream and vanilla to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk your eggs and sugar together until they become very pale. Pour the cream mixture over the eggs and stir with a wooden spoon. Place the bowl over a bain-marie and constantly stir over a low heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Pass through a chinois to remove the vanilla and cool over ice to prevent the eggs from over cooking.
Building the pudding
Butter the bread and take off the crusts, then carefully slice the bread into neat triangles. Brush the Pyrex dish with butter, then pour over a generous layer of crème anglaise. Scatter over some of the sultanas, then layer the bread on top, keeping them tight together without overlapping. Trim any triangles down to fit the sides if needed. Repeat this step until there are three layers of bread and crème anglaise, leaving the top layer without sultanas. Leave the pudding for at least six hours to soak up the crème anglaise, ensuring you keep any remaining crème angalise in case the pudding begins to look dry. Place the dish in a bain marie bake at 105c for about 50 minutes. It’s ready when there is just a slight wobble. Leave to cool slightly, then sprinkle a layer of caster sugar on top ensuring it is not too thick. Glaze using a blowtorch to a deep golden, repeat again to create a crunchy caramel top.
Vanilla Ice cream
Place all of the ingredients together in a pan with a whisk and gently. Infuse over a low heat until hot but do not boil. Pass through a chinois, cool and freeze for at least 10 hours. Pacotize an hour before use, and firm up in the freezer.
To plate up
Create on outline for your portions by cracking through the caramel with a spoon. Gently cut down to the bottom of the dish around each portion, and with a large spoon carefully place each portion into warm bowls with the caramel crust on top, dividing any sultanas and some of the crème anglaise between the bowls. Serve a quenelle of ice cream on the side along with a small glass of beer.