Baked fall spiced bread pudding
Ingredients
- 6 cups, one inch diced croissants
- 1 oz single malt scotch
- 1 cup dark chocolate chopped
- 1 tsp. autumn spice (equal portions of star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg)
- 1 litre 35% cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup diced, pan roasted apples
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 vanilla bean (or extract)
- 2 tbsp. apricot preserve
- ½ cup icing sugar
- Pinch of kosher sea salt
Method
1. Cut chocolate with a knife into rough chunks. You may also use chocolate chips instead.
2. Toss the chocolate with the diced croissants and roasted apples. Splash with a little of the scotch to taste. You have added enough when it is perfumed and there is a light smoky flavour from the scotch.
3. Slit the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into a clean mixing bowl.
4. Add the cream, eggs, sugar, spice, and salt. Whisk until well incorporated.
5. Add 8 oz. of the cream mixture to the bread mixture to moisten.
6. Spoon the pudding mixture into individual buttered or one large earth ware baking dish.
7. Pour remaining cream mix over the bread mixture until it reaches the rim of the dish.
8. For best results this dish should be cooked in a water bath. Simply place the dish in a lager casserole dish and pour hot water just half way up the pudding vessel.
9. Place the casserole dish in a preheated 350F oven and cook for 10 minutes.
10. Turn the temperature down to 300F and continue cooking until the custard is set. Approximately another 20-30 minutes.
11. The pudding will be finished when the custard is set and a golden crust has formed. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
12. While the pudding is cooling, melt the apricot preserve thinned with a little scotch. When the pudding has cooled to a warm temperature, brush the glaze to coat the top of the pudding.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with cranberry puree or vanilla ice cream.
I like to eat this with a glass of spiked eggnog! Favorite spiced rum would work magic… a glass or ice wine or warm Holiday tea.
