Friday, December 05, 2008

Oh Goody Goodness

While we were away for Thanksgiving I was flipping through The Kara's issue of Real Simple. A few things looked good, but really there was thing I had to have.


Croissant & Chocolate Bread Pudding


You need an 8x8 baking dish. Butter it and fill with cut up croissants and bittersweet chocolate pieces.

Pour in a mixture of milk, cream, egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, salt and nutmeg. For not reason other than I want to, I added a pinch of cinnamon.

The recipe asks you to bake for 30-40 minutes. I had to bake for nearly 60 minutes and it was still a little undercooked in the middle.

Slightly chewy on the outside, warm and custardy on the inside. The chocolate was nice, but I actually would consider skipping it in the future. The chocolate overpowered the creamy, buttery, vanilla flavors.

Let's gild the lily. Homemade caramel sauce! HA HA!


Croissant & Chocolate Bread Pudding

from Real Simple

Unsalted butter for the baking dish, at room temperature
6 large egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 croissants, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound)
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Heat oven to 375° F. Butter an 8-inch square or other shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Add the
croissants and chocolate and mix to combine.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake until set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make-Ahead Tip: Cut the croissants and chop the chocolate, then store them at room temperature in separate resealable plastic bags for up to 1 day.

6 comments:

Dancer in DC said...

The chocolate was nice and all, but I agree - you could leave it out. The dish is rich enough without it.

ROGANISTA said...

you say you'd forgo the chocolate chips? do you think dark chocolate rather than bittersweet might balance it out? punch me in the face, nothing could balance out this ridic.-gluttonous melange of butter, egg, sugar, butter, more sugar, and heaven! thanks for sharing the post--i'm going to try it out!

ScottE. said...

Dark chocolate might work. I also think that if chocolate is really desired, I might like the chocolate in smaller shavings or tiny bits, instead of these larger chips...so it would be more integrated into the pudding. Or, make it without chocolate and serve it with a chocolate sauce on the side.

The Kara said...

Wow - this looks even more delish than in the magazine. Actually,it seems fairly simple - I might try it out for the holidays. Thanks, ScottE!

Jen said...

i make a cakedoughnut bread pudding every year.. from the foodtv website by michael chira? something. you should try it.

ScottE. said...

Here's the link for the caramel sauce.