I made Princess Diana's favorite dessert, and it's the perfect cross between bread pudding and crème brûlée

In "Eating Royally: Recipes and Remembrances from the Palace Kitchen," Chef Darren McGrady recalled his time working for the British royal family and creating their favorite meals. McGrady, who served Queen Elizabeth II before becoming Princess Diana's personal chef, wrote about Diana's love for his bread and butter pudding recipe.

"This pudding was Princess Diana's all-time favorite, so much so that she once had a royal reporter write that 'Darren makes the best bread and butter pudding in the world,'" McGrady wrote in an excerpt shared by Today. "Well, I am not sure it is the best in the world — but it's up there! The final texture is a cross between a bread pudding and a crème brûlée." 

Bread and butter pudding is a classic British dessert enjoyed all over the world, but I'll admit I'm late to the party. The only time I've ever made bread pudding was for a cultural project at my American elementary school. After all this time, I decided to give the dessert another go. 

While the dish blew me away and had simple ingredients, it was a bit time-consuming, and readers will need to visit their local liquor store to prepare. 

To make McGrady's recipe, you'll need: 

• ¼ cup of Amaretto 
• 3 ounces raisins
• 12 slices of white bread with the crust removed
• 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter, melted
• 9 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla paste
• ¾ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of milk
• 2 cups of heavy cream 
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar (to caramelize the dessert) 
• 3 ounces of lightly toasted almonds
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

McGrady's recipe didn't specify how much Amaretto to use, so feel free to include as much or as little as possible. Place the Amaretto and 3 ounces of raisins in a bowl, then cover with plastic wrap.

When I uncovered the bowl the following day, my kitchen smelled like almonds, and the raisins had a sweet, slightly bitter taste that would pair well with the sugary bread and butter pudding.

According to the recipe, take four slices of white bread, cut the crust off, and dice them into 1/2-inch squares before spreading them over the bottom of a casserole dish. 

Next, take your Amaretto-soaked raisins and pour them atop the diced bread. Pour any leftover Amaretto on top for an extra punch of flavor. 

Honestly, I felt like someone's mother making school lunch as I cut the remaining eight bread slices. Cut each slice diagonally into four triangles per slice.

Then, heat one and a half sticks of unsalted butter in a bowl.

Learn from my mistakes, please!

Don't overcoat the triangles unless you want a sopping, dripping mess that will likely fall apart before they're in the casserole dish. I initially coated some triangles with a generous amount but found that my white bread became too mushy to use.

Instead, either coat one side or be discerning when dipping the bread triangles and layering them on top of the base. McGrady advised bakers to slightly overlap each triangle to give it a textured, eye-catching look.

Pour the remaining butter over the bread.

In a large bowl, combine nine egg yolks — I separated mine with this pig-themed separator — two tablespoons of vanilla paste, and ¾ cups of granulated sugar. Whisk the ingredients together and the result should be a dark yellow, slightly thick batter. 

On a stovetop, bring half a cup of milk and two cups of heavy cream to a boil. Then, add the boiling liquid into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. 

Pour the warm egg mixture on top of the bread. Let the bread and warm egg mixture sit for 20 minutes to allow the liquid to soak into the bread.

Pro tip: I did not pour all of my egg mixture on top of my bread because the mixture would have completely overtaken it. Instead, I poured the mixture until it reached the top of the triangle bread.

For McGrady's bread and butter pudding, he advised putting the casserole dish in a roasting tray and filling the tray halfway with hot water. For home bakers, be wary of adding too much hot water because it may splash into your casserole dish when you move it in and out of the oven.

You may be able to salvage the dessert if you blot and quickly remove the water, but it'll be challenging once the bread pieces soak it up.

Bake the dish in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the bread's top becomes golden brown. Make sure the filling has set and firmed up before turning off your oven, so this may add another 10 minutes or so to the recipe.

In addition to the sugar incorporated into the batter, the recipe suggested bakers sprinkle two tablespoons to dust the bread and butter pudding. As I poured, two tablespoons seemed a bit excessive, but I followed the instructions as written.

McGrady said people could use a crème brûlée torch to caramelize the sugar, but if you're an average baker like myself, then simply set your oven to low broil for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on your dish so it doesn't unexpectedly burn!

Finally, add two tablespoons of powdered sugar and toasted, sliced almonds. Bakers can either buy toasted almonds from the store or use a pan to heat them on the stovetop.

My apartment smelled like a certified bakery by the time my bread and butter pudding cooled.

The smell wafting through my kitchen teased the dessert's flavor, which was rich, moist, and buttery in every single bite. I agree with McGrady that the dish is a fun mix between bread pudding and crème brûlée due to its creamy texture and taste. The almonds also added a nice crunch to a dish that nearly melts in your mouth.

It's no surprise as to why Princess Diana enjoyed this dessert!

However, if I had to nitpick at one thing, it would be the amount of sugar. While I think sugar lovers will be a fan of the dessert as is, next time, I'll add only one tablespoon of granulated sugar on top and cut the powdered sugar altogether.

Although simple, I think the recipe took around one hour and 45 minutes to complete without including the six to eight hours for soaking the raisins.

But when all is said and done, it's a delicious dessert, and I'll definitely be making it for my friends in the future.