More stealing: bread pudding

Ok, yes, I really really REALLY had a good time at G ramercy. I always do. There are reasons it's so widely regarded.

One of the desserts that we had that day was a chocolate bread pudding. Now, I will admit right up front: I did NOT make good bread pudding. No siree. Dry, burned, too sweet, you name it, it was wrong with my pudding. The bread pudding they served was chocolate, which is not my cup of tea, but as a good cook, I was observing. Hmmm. They served it deep, in a high portion, like a ramekin. And I remembered that when I piled up my baked pasta, one of the problems I always have with that dish - dry macaroni - was avoided. So, rather than do the bread pudding in a big, broad pan like I always did, I pulled out the ramekins.

I know that for bread pudding - DESSERT bread puddings anyway - you need a rich bread like challah. I got an organic one from the farmers market, and cut away crusts (that really is something you don't need to do, but it makes it nicer). The pudding I was making called for berries. Four cups of whatever you had. Smiling, I went into the fridge and took the last bag of frozen huckleberries from last year (NOW I CAN BUY MORE. YAY!!!!), and mixed them with cubed bread. Then in the mixer, went eight whole eggs, 2 .5 cups of cream, and half a cup of milk (why half a cup pray tell? Very simple: I wanted to use it up). Also, a cup and a half of sugar (this dessert is NOT going to win any low fat, good for you prizes). Also a glug of vanilla extract from the bottle I took eight one cup ramekins, and greased them with oil. Then I stirred the bread and berries together, with my hands, one more time, before I put equal amounts in each of the ramekins. (NOTE: one cup ramekins are VERY big). Then I ladled the cream/egg mixture into each one, until it was all used up. The bread soaks it up very easily.


Now, it was time to bake them, in a "bain marie" as they call it. What a bain marie is, simply, is a hot water bath to protect custard from burning. You take a big pan, put the smaller ones in it, add water, and start baking.

Try to get eight ramekins into any big dish. Go ahead. I DARE you. I wound up using a baking sheet. And because these are unstable with heavy stuff and hot water on them, I put it into the oven first, with the ramekins on it. I then took a teapot full of boiling water, poured it into the baking dish, until the baking dish was full, and baked the guys at 375 for 45 minutes.

If I do say so myself - and I do - I have conquered sweet bread pudding. These were DAMN wonderful.

Try it with different fruit. I wish I had learned this when apricots were still in season, but the dried ones will be going in one, flavored perhaps with sweet wine. I can see plums or prunes going in in the future, and perhaps pears.

These were big portions too. I'm thinking of scaling them back, so I can serve one with some sauce, or ice cream, or some other complimented dessert.

Another mountain climbed. Cooking is like that