Rich & Gooey Chocolate & Raspberry Matzo Pudding

Have some matzo left over from Passover or just curious to try another version of bread and butter pudding? This matzo pudding uses the unleavened crackers and soaks them in a chocolate custard with raspberries to produce a gooey, rich pudding!

I love making bread puddings because I loathe wasting food. But when the weather is very warm it's not the most natural thing to make with leftover crackers or breads. Now that the weather has turned slightly colder and Autumn has made her presence felt, out come the rich stews and puddings.

The reason why I had some matzo was because Nina recently told me about matzo pizza. Her friend waxed lyrical about how amazing it was. Apparently it was quite a simple process. Take a matzo cracker, spread with a special South African tomato sauce and then top with mozzarella. Microwave for 20 seconds and then garnish with basil. I became very curious about it, especially as Nina would ask me if I had tried it every time I saw her.

The tomato sauce was a brand called All Gold and it isn't easy to get. You need a large supermarket with a good South African section. One day I found myself in Double Bay and bought myself a bottle. It was $6.70 so I had high hopes especially as I was told that it had to be this brand. I went home, eager to try it and spread the tomato sauce and topped it with mozzarella. While it was in the microwave I tried some of the tomato sauce. Honestly it tasted just like any other kind I have to admit. After 20 seconds the cheese still wasn't melted and it took a good minute before it melted completely (I gues her friend had a much better microwave). Nevertheless I excitedly took a bite.

It was...not great.

I don't know if it was the microwave that did it, or whether it was the fact that it was just tomato sauce (although I have to say I have in a pinch oven baked Lebanese bread with tomato sauce and cheese and happily eaten it so I'm clearly not fancy). But all I could see was my $6.70 tomato sauce, matzo and I didn't want to eat that again. And now I had a box of matzo that needed using up.

So Sammie sent me a message. She's Jewish too and her family make a recipe called Matzo pudding. That sounded much more my scene. Her version uses dried fruit but I had so much chocolate left over from Easter and some fresh raspberries that I decided to change it up and make it a chocolate raspberry matzo pudding. And you know what? As disappointing as matzo pizza is, matzo pudding is so good! It's rich in chocolate and raspberries and is just about the best way to eat matzo (apart from matzo soup which I swoon over).

So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever tried matzo pizza and if so, do you have a better recipe for it (I still have 5 pieces of matzo lol)? Do you prefer cold weather or hot weather food?

Chocolate & Raspberry Matzo Pudding

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 1 hour 10 minutes waiting time

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Degree of difficulty: very easy

• 6 pieces matzo
• 300g/10.6ozs. dark chocolate
• 1 cup cream
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon Chambord (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
• Icing or powdered sugar to sprinkle
• Fresh raspberries to decorate

Step 1 - Heat 250g/8.8ozs of dark chocolate, cream, milk and sugar in a large saucepan and melt the chocolate. Cool for 10 minutes. Whisk the eggs, Chambord if using and vanilla into the mixture. Break up the matzo into pieces and mix into the chocolate mixture and soak for 1 hour.

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 160C/320F and grease a deep baking tray. Place one third of the matzo on the base and then scatter with half the frozen berries, repeat again finishing on a layer of matzoh. Pour the chocolate custard over the matzo and the rest of the chocolate pieces. Bake for 30 minutes. Then cover with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until set. Sift icing sugar and decorate with raspberries.