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Filtering by Tag: bread pudding

sweet potato bread pudding

Andrea

And here it is friends: recipe number 2 of 5 in 5 days...my very favorite sweet potato recipe yet.  Oh. Yes.

Its no secret around here that I like bread pudding.  There are already two variations here on Bella Eats, and I have no doubt that there will be more in the coming years.  When trying to come up with a new sweet potato dish this year (the marshmallow-topped, super-sweet casserole just doesn't do it for me) bread pudding popped into my head and nagged and nagged until I did a quick internet search to see if anybody else had tried it yet.  Of course, I found a great recipe at The Kitchn (they've done everything already, haven't they?!?) and decided to try it out and tweak it if needed.  Not surprising, it was perfect. Even after I cut the recipe to 2/3s (who does that?!?).  If you don't have an 8x4 round soufflé pan and want to use a 9x13 instead, pop on over to The Kitchn for their proportions.

Seriously, I hope you all try this recipe for a holiday meal this season.  It would be great served right alongside the turkey, or drizzled with the caramel sauce for dessert.  So delicious.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Caramel Pecan Sauce
serves 8

based on this recipe from The Kitchn
For the Bread Pudding:
  • 1 large garnet sweet potato (about 1 pound)
  • butter (for your baking dish)
  • (1) loaf day old Challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tsp molasses
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of allspice
  • pinch of salt
  • 1-⅓ cups heavy cream
  • 1-⅓ cups milk
For the Sauce:
  • 1 stick butter
  • ½ cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • ⅔ cups heavy cream
Method
  1. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 2-inch chunks.  Steam until tender (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
  2. While the potatoes steam, generously butter a 8" round by 4" tall soufflé dish.  Or, a 9x9x2 baking dish would work, too, but your baking time may be a little less.  Place the bread cubes in the dish.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, spices, salt, milk, and heavy cream.
  4. Once the sweet potatoes are cool, mash or puree them until smooth.  Add them to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly.  Pour the mixture over the bread and press down the bread with the back of a wooden spoon to ensure all the bread cubes are soaked in the custard mixture.  Let sit for about 20 minutes or up to 4 hours (refrigerate if it will sit for that long) while you preheat the oven to 350℉.
  5. Place the bread pudding in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are browned and the custard is set.
  6. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.  Add the pecans and simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Add the sugar and stir continuously until smooth.  Add the cream and stir to combine.  Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.
  7. Serve pudding warm with the sauce drizzled over top.

bread pudding with amaretto cream

Andrea

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Charlottesville is beautiful this time of year...lush new grass, lacy clouds of dogwood blossoms, confetti-hued azalea bushes. But my heart, it lies in another city at the end of April. Far, far south of here, where the air is heavy with music and the scent of chicory. Five years ago this Thursday, Brian and I were married against a cracked brick wall in a classic New Orleans courtyard on the most beautiful day of our lives thus far.  With 35 of our closest friends and family we paraded through the French Quarter, led by a jazz quartet we'd met on Royal Street during our very first visit to the Big Easy. I walked down the aisle to "It's a Wonderful World", we said our vows with our two best friends by our sides, we danced with those we love most, we ate incredible food for hours. What a day...and so hard to believe it was five years ago now.

Yes, this time of year has me longing for New Orleans. We were married in the midst of crawfish season, and luckily for us, we have a local market that brings crawfish into Charlottesville at exactly this time of year, just for our anniversary. Well, maybe not just for us, but the timing sure does work out well. On Friday, Brian brought home with him 1 dozen oysters, 4 pounds of crawfish, and 6 blue crabs. A flash decision was made and I found myself scrambling to make a bread pudding, the perfect ending to the NOLA Seafood Boil suddenly placed on our Friday night agenda. That dinner with dear friends was the next best thing to being in our favorite city, and another evening I won't soon forget.

Bread pudding is a classic New Orleans dessert. It is one that, when we first visited the city, I was entirely unconvinced of. I've come to my senses in the last few years, and might have recently declared bread pudding one of my favorite sweets. I won't deny that. This particular recipe was a new one for me, pulled from Chef Paul Prudhomme's classic cookbook, which hasn't led us astray yet. Chef Paul is a bit of a culinary god in our house...the man did invent the blackening method after all. I expected him to pull through for me again here, and we were not disappointed. This is a traditional bread pudding, made with stale bread and sweet custard and pecans and raisins, topped with Chef Prudhomme's fabulous Chantilly Cream. Because I wasn't expecting to make bread pudding (or any baked good at all, actually) last Friday afternoon, I found myself lacking in some ingredients. But even with a bit of tweaking it was a big hit, and I think the changes made might be permanent.

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Bread pudding is best while still warm, but also makes for a really, really good cold breakfast. Trust me...it will sing with your coffee.

Bread Pudding with Amaretto Cream

from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, with minor modification

serves 8

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I substituted almond)
  • 1-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup raisins (I used golden raisins)
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, dry roasted (I've also used walnuts, and think that almonds would be quite good, too)
  • 5 cups very stale French or Italian bread cubes, with crusts on
  • Amaretto Cream (recipe below)

Method

  1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs on high speed until extremely frothy and bubbles are the size of pinheads, about 3 minutes (or with a metal whisk for about 6 minutes). Add the sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter and beat on high until well blended. Beat in the milk.
  2. Butter (8) small ramekins, (1) 9x5 loaf pan, or (1) 9" square glass dish. (Truly, any of these works.) Place a layer of bread cubes in the greased pan(s). Sprinkle with the golden raisins and nuts and layer bread cubes over top to fill pan. 
  3. Pour the egg mixture over top of the bread cubes and toss (or gently press the cubes down into the liquid so that all are coated, but not covered). Let sit for about 45 minutes, pushing the bread down into the liquid occasionally. Preheat oven to 350°. 
  4. Place the pan(s) in the preheated oven and immediately drop the temperature down to 300°. Bake for 40 minutes, until top is just starting to golden. (If you use small ramekins, bake for just 25-30 minutes). Increase the oven temperature to 425° and bake until pudding is well browned and puffy, about 15 to 20 minutes more.
  5. Serve with Amaretto Cream.

Amaretto Cream

modified from Chef Prudhomme's Chantilly Cream (which is really, really delicious...I just didn't have the right liqueur.)

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp amaretto
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp dairy sour cream

Method

  1. Refrigerate a medium-size bowl and beaters until very cold. Combine the cream and Amaretto in the bowl and beat with a handheld mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar and sour cream and beat on medium just until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Do not overbeat!
  2. Try not to eat the entire bowl. But if you do, I understand completely.
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coconut mango white chocolate bread pudding

Andrea

I've mentioned that my family is very attached to the city of New Orleans and all that comes with it...food, music, architecture, people and culture.  One of our favorite food traditions when we visit is to stop in the Palace Cafe for their famous  White Chocolate Bread Pudding.  After one visit my stepfather decided to create his own version of one of our NOLA favorites.  We had it this year (and most years) for Christmas Day dessert. bread-6 Coconut Mango White Chocolate Bread Pudding Ingredients:
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1-1/2 cups diced mango
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 4 oz white chocolate
  • 6 cups cubed day-old crustless bread
Steps:
  1. Melt white chocolate in coconut milk on stovetop over medium-low heat.  Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
  2. Whisk eggs and add to white chocolate mixture. (you want the white chocolate mixture to be cool enough so as not to scramble the eggs...)  Add all spices and whisk together.
  3. In large buttered baking dish combine the cubed bread, mango sliced and coconut.  Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread mixture and let soak for 30 minutes.
  4. Bake at 350* for one hour.  Serve with rum sauce.
Rum Sauce Ingredients:
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup rum
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
Steps:
  1. Combine run, sugar and 1-1/2 cups of cream in medium saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat.
  2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining 1/2 cup of cream.  Add to the rum mixture.
  3. Return to heat and simmer for 4 minutes.
bread-1 You will probably need two medium-sized loaves of bread...Italian is what we typically use.  If you remove the bread from its packaging and sit out over night it will be sufficiently stale the next morning.  Remove all crust and cut into 1" cubes. bread-2 bread-3 The recipe is really quite simple  and the combination of flavors is absolutely perfect.  I actually made this for my co-workers for breakfast once and they were very, very happy... bread-4 bread-5 I hope that some of you will try it and let me know what you think!
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more merriness...

Andrea

We have been going non-stop ever since we left Charlottesville early Tuesday morning!  Its been great to catch up with friends and family, and I think we'll have a couple of days to relax now before heading back north.  I saw on the weather this morning that Charlottesville has reached 60*, so I'm happy that we'll be heading home to a little warmth and won't have too big of a shock when we leave this lovely Florida weather! Yesterday the hubb and I went to my hometown to visit with my Daddy and stepfamily.  I always love to catch up with them because they are so full of energy and good cheer.  Definitely a busy household!  But first, we again took advantage of the Florida warmth and went for a run in the morning.  Just a couple of miles because we've had some time off, but it was still great to get out on the road and stretch our legs.  Breakfast:  Bananas Foster Oatmeal.  Soooooooooooo good.  Another flavor of New Orleans that is a favorite.  My stepfather sauteed bananas in butter and brown sugar then poured them over our rolled oats flavored with vanilla extract.  On the side I had some sliced citrus. 081226-b1 081226-b2 Lunch:  My daddy took us to my favorite Mexican / Cuban restaurant, El Leoncito.  I had 1/2 of a Cuban sandwich with black beans and sweet plantains on the side, along with a margarita on the rocks.  I've missed that combo! Snack:  A latte from my daddy's new espresso machine...fancy! 081226-s1 We also shared a couple of great glasses of wine while waiting for the sun to set so that we could check out my dad's fabulous Christmas lights display.  I have to brag...my dad's lights are the best I've ever seen.  He wins the neighborhood contest every year that he is eligible (only every other year).  These pictures don't even do them justice, but they'll give you an idea.  He had hundreds of visitors on Christmas Eve walking through his yard to see all of the details... 081226-lights-2 081226-lights-3 081226-lights-4 081226-lights After seeing the lights we went over to my step-grandparents' house for some chili and Christmas carol singing.  Sadly, all of the pictures were taken on my stepsisters' and dad's cameras so I have none to post right now.  :( Today my Momma and I had a spa day!  We got up early for some breakfast... Breakfast:  Egg white omelet with sauteed veggies and a biscuit with homemade tangerine preserves.  I was craving veggies since I hadn't had any in a couple of days... 081227-b1 Then we went to Essentials Day Spa for massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and a shampoo/style.  It was so lovely!!!  They served us lunch and wine...I had a mixed greens salad (more veggies!!!) with feta, tomatoes and walnuts and two (yes two!) glasses of chardonnay.  Let me just say...I feel amazing! Snack:  I broke into the Coconut Mango White Chocolate Bread Pudding [recipe to come]...hey, I'm on vacation, right?!?  Argh...I'm going to gain 10 pounds on this trip, I just know it.  Luckily its been a relatively light day and we're going for sushi tonight...  :) 081227-s1 Alright lovelies, I'm hoping to have some recipe posts up tonight and tomorrow.  Its so hard to get behind the computer when you're around family!  Have a fabulous weekend!  :)
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