This is my very first guest blog. A big thank you to my contributor & friend, Nori, who was kind enough to share this recipe with us. Hope you will try it and let us know what you think.
The first time I
ever had bread pudding was at an all-you-can-eat buffet in Reno, Nevada. I was
about 12 years old, and from what I recall, I was not impressed. I didn’t
understand the appeal of the almost mushy texture that was occasionally
interrupted by the chewiness of the raisins that were mixed in. I was convinced
that I strongly disliked bread pudding from that day onward.
Fast-forward to my
early 20’s, when I was in college and officially allowed to hang around the
casinos for late night food with friends. One night, something strongly called
me to order the bread pudding that was being offered as a special at Hash House
a Go Go, and I succumbed. I think that’s one of the best 2AM decisions I’ve
ever made as that marks the start of my affinity to this deliciously dense
dessert. This recipe is one of the many versions I’ve created, based on some of
my favorite flavors.
INGREDIENTS
Bread
Pudding –
1 ½ cups 2% milk
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup bourbon
¼ stick butter (melted) (+more
for greasing pan)
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pure maple syrup
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup
brown sugar (+ more for sprinkling on top)
1 pinch salt (I use Jacobsen
Vanilla Bean Sea Salt)
½ tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1 small loaf of day old crusty
bread (I use Grand Central Piccolo Como), cut into 2-3 inch cubes
2 eggs, beaten
Vanilla
Bourbon Crème Anglaise –
1 vanilla bean
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
¼ - ½ cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
¼ cup bourbon
PREPARATION
Bread
Pudding –
·
Heat
oven to 350 degrees
·
In
a small saucepan over low heat, warm milk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt –
stir until incorporated
·
Let
cool
·
Butter
a 2-quart glass baking dish
·
Add
eggs and spices to cooled milk mixture and whisk
·
Slowly
whisk in bourbon
·
In
a large mixing bowl, pour mixture over bread and let soak for 10-15 minutes
·
Pour
everything into the baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar (I like to paint
a little melted butter on the mixture before sprinkling the sugar)
·
Bake
for 35 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set but still a little wobbly and
edges of bread have browned
·
Make
Crème Anglaise
Serve warm with
Crème Anglaise
Vanilla
Bourbon Crème Anglaise –
· Split
vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a non-stick saucepan before
putting in the entire pod
· Pour
in milk and cream.
· Over
medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon
· Before
the milk is brought to a simmer, whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until
the mixture is fully incorporated
· Slowly
pour a little of the hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking to slowly
warm the eggs and sugar (be very careful not to do this too quickly so you
don’t end up with scrambled eggs!)
· Slowly
do this until all the warm milk is incorporated into the egg mixture
· Slowly
whisk in bourbon
· Pour
everything back into the saucepan
· Turn
the on low and continue to cook, stirring with the wooden spoon and making sure
to scrape the corners of the pan
· Keep
stirring over low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the
wooden spoon (about 2-3 minutes)
· Strain
the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve back into the bowl
· Fill
a larger bowl with a few inches of ice water, and set the bowl of Crème Anglaise
on top of the ice bath to cool for a minute
Serve warm with bread pudding (if possible, right away—but you
can store this in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheat gently
before serving. Make sure to place plastic wrap directly on the liquid before
placing the top of the container in order to prevent a skin from solidifying on
the crème anglaise)
