Bread pudding help needed

[Janet H]

I need to make a good sized dessert for a potluck tonight and thought that a bread pudding might be good. I want to use fresh apricots and cherries - lots of em.

All the recipes I have found seem to be for dried fruit and I'm concerned that I as the apricots cook, they'll get very juicy and throw off the texture. Does anyone have some proportions that might be helpful for the custard part of this dessert?

I was planning to use:

Croissants
Fresh apricots and cherries (I have fruit trees in back yard)
eggs
milk
cream
sugar
almonds
seasoning as needed

any suggestions?

 

[Hoot]

Fresh apricots and cherries (I have fruit trees in back yard)

Brag, brag, brag...... just kidding!
I have seen recipes using canned fruit cocktail.
Everything else being equal (in the absence of a recipe you are planning to use), I would use 5 or 6 cups of the croissants to about 2 cups of fruit.
But then, I am just guessing.
Good luck!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I share your concerns, how about a conventional bread pudding and a sauce made using the apricots or cherries, sugar, cornstarch and a shot of rum or cognac. The sauce would be good hot or cold. If you opt for hot it should hold in a crock pot set on low. Good luck!

 

[Alix]

1/4 cup brandy
2 2/3 cups milk
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

That's the custard part of my bread pudding. I figure if you account for about 1 cup of liquid coming off the fruit you could adjust accordingly. I normally use enough croissants to FILL a big corning ware dish. Its a bit bigger than 9x13.

I've not used fresh fruit in mine Janet, but it sounds lovely. Pictures please!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Perhaps a mixed fruit cobbler instead............

 

[Janet H]

Alix - that's a great help thanks so much. I guess I'll just cross my fingers and wing it... if it fails utterly, it can always be turned into fritters for breakfast

 

[Janet H]

Perhaps a mixed fruit cobbler instead............

Yes, but I have all these croissants....

 

[Alix]

Nonononono cobbler. MUST use the croissants! They make the most decadent and sinful bread pudding EVER. Mmmmmm...now I'm jonesing.

Janet, if you have any lovely chocolate chunks to toss into the croissants with the cherries...just thinking out loud here.

 

[TATTRAT]

I typically make creme brulee, and use that as the basis, but more heavy on the vanilla, and I typically do whit chocolate and fresh blueberries. Whiskey Butter sauce to finish.


For the winter, I would do the same base, but with cherries, toasted walnuts, and those caramels you can get in bulk at the grocery store, in the bulk candy bins. . . creme anglaise to finish.

I think you are on the right path, that's for sure. I think the richness of the custard, and croissant will be cut nicely by the tart of the cherries, and sweetness of the apricots.
Instead of a sauce, since it's stinking hot, maybe a scoop of good ole vanilla ice cream, and let that melt a little on top.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ok; now you've got me thinking, and that's a dangerous thing. I'm thinking a hybrid desert with a classic fruit cobler base, but topped with a vanilla and cinamon bread pudding topping, browned lightly uner a broiler, maybe sprinkled with sugar and brule'd.

If it is an adult only pot luck, you could serve this up sprinkled with a bit of brandy or cognac, as a flambe.

Here's how I'd make it:
Cobbler base:
1 cup pitted sour cherries
1 cup peeled and pitted apricots
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cloves

Bread Pudding Topping with Vanilla Sauce:
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups whole milk
6 to 8 croissants
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla

Vanilla Sauce:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350'F

Combine all of the cobler ingredients in a large bowl, and lightly mash, making sure to leave good-sized chunks of fruit. Butter a 9X11 pan and put the fruit mixture into it.

Fold the bread pudding ingredients until thoughouly mixed, but not mashed together. This part should be light and fluffy. Place the mixture on top of the cobbler base. Place the pan into the oven and cook until the bread pudding has a touch of golden brown on top. (about 35 to 40 minutes)

While the desert is baking, Heat the milk until it just begins to simmer. Reduce heat to keep it from boiling, but still hot. Whip the egg in a suitable bowl. Add 1/2 cup of milk slowly to the beaten egg. Whisk the remaining ingredients into the hot milk. Slowly whisk in the egg and let it cook until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap against the sauce to prevent it from forming a skin.

When the desert is done, remove it from the oven and sprinkle sugar all over the bread pudding. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar. Serve hot with the sauce, or ice cold with the hot sauce ladled over the desert when placed on the serving plates. Keep the sauce warm with a chafing dish.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Janet H]

These are amazing helps and ideas. This time of year when all the fruit gets ripe at once, I get a little glazed...

The layered cobbler/pudding with sauce is next in line for trying - looks positively wicked. I got 12 croissants and have only used 6 today. I'm certain that I'll be bringing home an empty plate tonight and so will give this a second go tomorrow.

Here's what I came up with.

6 croissants, toasted and torn
Dried cherries (chickened out on fresh and used dried, trying to keep juice levels in check), soaked in kirsch
Many apricots cut in about 4 pieces each
handful of slivered almonds
Tsp slivered candied ginger
lemon rind from 1 lemon

the custard is made from approximately:
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1/4 clavados
nutmeg
1.5 cup sugar

I added extra the egg yolks to help deal with the apricot juice.

The sauce is made from:
1 C cream
1/2 C milk
1 Cup Brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 C butter
1/4 c bourbon
vanilla

Boiled for a few mins

Baked at 350 until it looked about right.


After I took this pic, I stuffed the cut piece back in the pan and it's ready to take tonight. It was soooo hard not to eat it!

 

[Hoot]

That looks simply amazing!!
Great job!

 

[Dawgluver]

Oh yum!!!

 

[DaveSoMD]

Looks great Janet!!!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Yum! Janet! That looks amazing, copying and pasting and I have a bag of Rainiers.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Janet maybe you will be famous for creating a new croissant bread pudding recipe. It will be interesting to read your post on how the recipe was received.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

These are amazing helps and ideas. This time of year when all the fruit gets ripe at once, I get a little glazed...

The layered cobbler/pudding with sauce is next in line for trying - looks positively wicked. I got 12 croissants and have only used 6 today. I'm certain that I'll be bringing home an empty plate tonight and so will give this a second go tomorrow.

Here's what I came up with.

6 croissants, toasted and torn
Dried cherries (chickened out on fresh and used dried, trying to keep juice levels in check), soaked in kirsch
Many apricots cut in about 4 pieces each
handful of slivered almonds
Tsp slivered candied ginger
lemon rind from 1 lemon

the custard is made from approximately:
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
1/4 clavados
nutmeg
1.5 cup sugar

I added extra the egg yolks to help deal with the apricot juice.

The sauce is made from:
1 C cream
1/2 C milk
1 Cup Brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 C butter
1/4 c bourbon
vanilla

Boiled for a few mins

Baked at 350 until it looked about right.


After I took this pic, I stuffed the cut piece back in the pan and it's ready to take tonight. It was soooo hard not to eat it!

View attachment 14425

I want some! That looks like a winner, but hold the liquor in mine please. I can almost smell it. I can taste and feel it in my head. Very low calorie that way, but not nearly as satisfying.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Janet H]

So - here's the wrap report (before I begin making the Chiefs version). The Bread pudding was pretty amazing served warm. The pan emptied fast. I would make two changes however...

I soaked the cherries in kirsch and flavor was too strong. Next time rehydrate in water or fruit juice.

The apricots didn't juice as much as I anticipated and so I think I could have used fresh cherries as well and compensated by reducing custard a little.

Notable comments from the potluck included:

"bread pudding is a girly dessert - women just love it (shrug)... but at least she added booze for the guys"

"I usually avoid bread pudding because of the calories, but yours is so light with all that fresh fruit, I had extra" ( I kept my mouth shut about the cream, butter and sugar)

And from my DH when I offered to serve him some: "No thanks, I don't like pudding, but have you tried that great apricot cake-y thing? It's awesome" (yeah... I know, but I picked him.....)

 

[Hoot]

Well done, gal!
I might have to try my hand at this very soon!

 

[Alix]

And from my DH when I offered to serve him some: "No thanks, I don't like pudding, but have you tried that great apricot cake-y thing? It's awesome" (yeah... I know, but I picked him.....)

:snort: Sounds like something my DH would say! Glad it worked out for you.