Monday, June 30, 2008

Peach bread pudding is summer favorite


We can’t get enough of the fresh fruits of summer. And even though it’s too early yet to enjoy our own home-grown garden varieties, we’ve been indulging our fancies in the produce section of the supermarket, one of our very favorite spots. Last week it was brimming with rows of colorful offerings, from whole watermelons, to rich red strawberries, to shiny blackberries. The peaches looked especially rosy and inviting too, coming from hotter climates than our New England shoreline.

It will be a few months before our own peach tree bears anything remotely worth sampling (they’re about the size of golf balls at the moment) so we picked up some market-variety fresh peaches. They looked good too, not like the ‘rocks’ you sometimes buy and bring home, only to get mushy as they ripen.

We sliced some up for breakfast. But before they got too ripe, we decided to combine them with some bread slices that were screaming, “Make us into bread pudding.” Bread does that in my kitchen. In a pinch you could also use frozen peaches, but thaw them first and add a little sugar. We thank our friends Anne and Moe from the CookbooksEtCetera cookbook collector’s group on the Web for contributing this recipe.

PEACH BREAD PUDDING

2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, scalded
1-1/4 cups water
4 thick slices buttered bread, cubed
1-1/4 cups ripe fresh peaches, peeled, sliced & sugared

Beat eggs with sugar, flavorings, and salt. Combine the milk and water; beat into the egg mixture. In a greased 1-1/2-quart casserole, layer the bread, milk mixture, and peaches until all ingredients are used. Set casserole in a pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serves 6.

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