Brioche bread puddings are rich with berries of summer

Did I hear “bread pudding”? My ears are tuned to those lovely words, and even though I’m distracted by the post-breakfast cleanup chores, I detect the “sounds” of bread pudding coming from the Food Network show that I have on in the background.

Yes!! It’s Tyler Florence and he has created some beautiful bread puddings full of blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, which he’s nestled in individual ramekins. The dishes can wait. I put aside my wash cloth and watch as Tyler whips up a topping of powdered sugar, lemon rind, and juice to top these little delicacies.

I like the Tyler Florence recipes because they’re something I’d try myself – not too fancy and with a homey touch. They’re easy to put together and good enough to impress company, or just the immediate company of your family for a comfy weeknight meal.

This particular recipe is from Tyler’s Ultimate, which on this particular episode featured a Chicken Paillard with Creamy Parmesan Salad for the main course. I watched as he took the individual puddings out of the oven, and drizzled them with the lemon fondant. Well, I’d just call it a glaze, but I guess if you’re a Food Network guy you have to come up with something that sounds more special.

BRIOCHE AND BERRY BREAD PUDDING WITH LEMON FONDANT
(Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence 2008 from the Tyler’s Ultimate show, Ultimate Chickan Paillard episode)

Brioche Bread Pudding:
Butter, room temperature
4 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for dusting and topping
4 large slices brioche bread
2 cups mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), plus more for garnish

Lemon Fondant:
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 lemons, zested and juiced

Butter and sugar 6 (6-ounce) ramekins. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest and sugar. Combine well with whisk, then let it settle so there are no air bubbles on the surface otherwise they will cause lumps in your anglaise.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Tear brioche up into large pieces using your hands, add to the custard mixture and toss to combine. Equally divide berries among ramekins and top with bread mixture. Gently press down so they are packed evenly. Sprinkle with more sugar, then refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes to let soak.
Bake for 25 minutes in center of oven. The pudding is ready when it has puffed up and custard is set. The top should be a nice golden color. Remove and allow to cool slightly.
Make fondant. In mixing bowl combine sifted powdered sugar, water, lemon zest and juice.
Once pudding has cooled slightly, invert onto individual serving plate. Drizzle lemon fondant over warm bread pudding and serve with extra fresh berries.

Berry-brioche bread pudding is crunchy and creamy

We’re celebrating summer with a variety of fresh and fruity bread puddings. Recipes are cropping up everywhere – in magazines, from friends, on TV shows and Internet sites, and on the pages of our vast collection of cookbooks. “You must be onto something,” a friend pointed out to me recently as she mentioned a recipe and photo of a scrumptious Berry Brioche Bread Pudding that was featured in the “Last Bite” section in the May 2008 issue of Food & Wine.

This recipe, created by pastry chef Karen DeMasco of New York City’s Craft restaurant, features sweet brioche soaked in custard. Her pudding also has a crunch on top and bottom, which she achieves by sprinkling the bottom of the baking dish with turbinado sugar.

Today as we passed by a farm where people were picking raspberries, we wanted to just jump out and join them. We hope they left some berries so we can fill up our baskets next week. And try this bread pudding.

BERRY BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING
(Active: 20 min: Total: 1 hr 40 min plus cooling)
8 servings

Unsalted butter, for greasing dish
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1-12 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups blueberries and raspberries, plus more for serving
One 1-pound loaf brioche, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Whipped cream for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8x11-inch baking dish and coat with turbinado sugar.
In large saucepan, bring cream, milk, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, and salt to a simmer over moderately high heat, then remove from heat.
In bowl, whisk whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually whisk in hot cream until blended. Strain custard through a fine strainer into a large bowl.
In small bowl, toss blueberries and raspberries with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Using a fork, coarsely mash berries. Let stand until juicy, about 5 minutes.
Mix brioche into custard. Fold in mashed berries. Transfer pudding to prepared baking dish and sprinkle top with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until set in center. Remove foil and bake in top third of oven for 20 minutes longer, until golden brown.
Preheat broiler. Broil pudding for 1 minute, until golden brown. Transfer to rack and let stand for 30 minutes, until cooled slightly. Cut bread pudding into squares and serve with blueberries, raspberries, and whipped cream.
(Recipe from Food & Wine, May 2008; created by pastry chef Karen DeMasco of Craft, 43 E. 19th St., New York City. Photo by Antonis Achilleos.)

Blueberry bread pudding is for brunch or dessert

This time of year often brings a lot of company. People yearning for a change of scenery or to enjoy some fresh ocean breezes. Most of them are easy to please in the food department. But sometimes you just want to show off a special dish.

I couldn’t resist this blueberry bread pudding that I found in a recent issue of Cooking Light. They suggest assembling it ahead to bake when ready, and serving it not only for dessert, but also as a main dish for brunch. If you don’t have enough blues on hand, you could always sub some other favorite berries, adjusting the sugar if necessary.

A helpful hint from the folks at Cooking Light is to “reserve the crusts you trim from the bread … and pulse in a food processor … fresh breadcrumbs should be stored in an airtight container and can be frozen for up to six months.” Now my freezer is already loaded with stale bread, but I’m sure we could fit in some crumbs too.

BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDING

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons light-colored corn syrup
Cooking spray
2 cups blueberries
1 (16-ounce) loaf Italian bread
1-1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur (optional)
2 teaspoons powdered sugar

Combine first 3 ingredients in small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for 2 minutes or until butter melts and sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Pour sugar mixture into 13x9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with blueberries.
Remove crust from bread; reserve crust for another use. Cut bread into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange bread slices over blueberries.
Combine milk, vanilla, salt, and eggs in large bowl, stirring with whisk until frothy; stir in liqueur, if desired. Pour milk mixture over bread. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Uncover pan; let stand at room temp 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until browned. Place large platter or jelly roll pan upside down over baking pan; carefully invert onto platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 9 servings.
CALORIES: 324 (29% from fat); FAT 10.3g (sat 5.1g mono3.4g. poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 7.9g; CARB 51g.; FIBER 1.8g; CHOL 137mg; IRON 1.8mg; SODIUM 380mg; CALC 110mg.
(Recipe from Cooking Light, June 2008)

Blueberry bread puddings have lemon topping

The blueberry bush in the back yard is brimming with berries. That’s great news, you say. Well, it is if you like gray/green berries. A grand total of four of them are now blue, and we hope by tomorrow will be ripe for picking. No need to rush these things. We put a net over the bush to keep our bird buddies and other critters away. Not that we don’t believe in sharing, but we do have our limits.

So to celebrate the future of big blues in the yard, we’re featuring these delightful blueberry bread puddings baked in ramekins and topped with a tart lemon curd made with fresh lemon juice. Lemon adds such a refreshing touch to summer desserts. Make these up in the morning while it’s still cool, and enjoy for dessert later.

BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDINGS WITH LEMON CURD

Puddings:
1-1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4-1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces)
Cooking spray
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided

Lemon curd:
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons butter

To prepare puddings: combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl, stirring well with whisk. Add bread, tossing to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Divide half of bread mixture evenly among 8 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup berries. Divide remaining bread mixture among ramekins; top with 3/4 cup berries.
Cover each ramekin with foil. Place ramekins in 13x9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
To prepare lemon curd: combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 egg in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon juice and butter; cook 2 minutes or until mixture coats back of a spoon, stirring constantly with whisk.
Place saucepan in large ice-filled bowl for 5 minutes or until lemon curd cools to room temp. Serve lemon curd over warm bread puddings. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 bread pudding and 1 tablespoon lemon curd)
CALORIES 240 (20% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 2g, mono 1.8g, poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 7.1g; CHOLESTEROL 112mg; CALCIUM 84mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 1.7g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.9g.
(Recipe from Cooking Light, November 2002)

Fourth of July bread pudding is colorful holiday treat

The Fourth of July is almost here, and that means lots of good down-home food. We’ll be at a family gathering where everyone will pitch in to bring one of their specialties. I usually just volunteer “whatever’s needed.” Which could be anything from banana muffins to, believe it or not, my current favorite dish, a corn and bean salsa that’s out of this world.

But I digress. The topic here is still bread pudding. And for the Fourth, we’ve conjured up a decorative and delish red-white-and-blue offering that’s made from fresh summer fruits – strawberries, raspberries, and blues. Sweet and plump fresh strawberries have been at their peak for picking in this part of the northeast US, so we couldn’t resist adding them to this wonderful dish. I have such fun creating these new versions of bread pudding, and if I do say so myself, this is one of the best! You can double it too, and bake it in a larger container to serve a larger group.

Here’s to a happy and safe Fourth!

FOURTH OF JULY BREAD PUDDING

3 slices day-old Italian bread, cubed (about 1 cup
1/2 cup (generous) mixture of fresh blueberries, raspberries, and sliced strawberries
2 large eggs
1/2 cup half & half OR heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Dash cinnamon
Cinnamon/sugar

Place bread cubes in bottom of buttered or cooking-sprayed 1-1/2-pint (3-cup) baking dish. Add fresh fruit, tossing with bread to combine. In bowl, whisk together eggs, half & half or cream, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter. Stir in cinnamon. Pour liquid over bread mixture in pan.
Let sit about 30 minutes to allow bread to absorb liquid. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. Bake in preheated 350-degree F. oven about 45 minutes or until pudding is firm and slightly browned on top. Serve warm or at room temp topped with whipped cream and some fresh berries on the side. Serves 4.

© 2008 Recipe by Portia Little.

Blueberry French toast is make-ahead brunch dish

When blueberry season arrives here in New England, we’ll be ready. Lately we’ve come across a wealth of blueberry bread pudding recipes, enough to keep our teeth and tongue blue for a long time.

The sweet blues are a natural for adding to bread pudding. There’s no peeling or chopping involved – just pop them into a baking dish with the usual suspects: bread, milk or cream, eggs, a sweetener and a dash of spice. Of course, there’s nothing like the sweet fresh blueberries that you pick yourself. Our backyard blueberry bush is full of blossoms so we hope to have a good crop this year. But they won’t be ready for picking until mid to late summer, so for now we’ll have to settle for the packaged ones at the super.

This recipe caught my eye because you can make it ahead to bake in the morning for breakfast or brunch. And while the title designates this dish as “French toast,” with the cubed bread, as opposed to slices, it seems more pudding than toast to me.

I have to thank my friend Kathy Jorgensen from California for sending me this recipe. Her input after testing the recipe was most helpful too. She felt there was too much cream cheese, and while it was tasty, she’d cut down on the cheese in the future. She also added an extra cup of berries, and shared the dish with some friends, who liked it also.

With her comments in mind, I then adapted my own smaller version, which I’ve also included following the original recipe. I used bread slices, which I spread with cream cheese, but I did maintain the 1 cup of berries. It was delicious too, so now we have two recipes to choose from.

BLUEBERRY SURPRISE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE
(from Taste of the Midwest by Midwest Living)

Makes 8 servings Prep: 20 minutes

Chill: 2 hours Bake: 25 minutes

12 slices dry white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

12 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup

Blueberry-flavored, maple, or maple-flavored syrup

1. Place half the bread cubes over bottom of well-buttered 13x9x2-inch baking dish (3-quart rectangular). Sprinkle cream cheese and blueberries over bread cubes. Arrange remaining bread cubes over blueberries.

2. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs with rotary beater; beat in milk and the 1/2 cup syrup. Carefully pour egg mixture over bread mixture. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.

3. Bake, covered, in 375-degree F. oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake about 25 minutes more or until knife inserted near center comes out clean, and topping is puffed and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with blueberry-flavored or maple syrup. Makes 8 servings.

*Note: To dry bread slices: Arrange bread in single layer on wire rack; cover loosely and let stand overnight. Or cut bread with 1/2-inch cubes; spread in large baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in 300-degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice; cool. Nutrition facts per serving: calories: 503 total fat: 30g cholesterol: 386mg sodium: 497mg carbohydrate: 40g fiber: 1g protein: 19g

BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE ADAPTED

4 slices Italian bread, enough to fit in 2 layers in bottom of casserole dish
2 ounces cream cheese, softened, or enough to spread thickly on bread slices
1 cup blueberries
4 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Cinnamon-sugar

Cover bottom of buttered 1-1/2-quart casserole with 1 layer of bread slices, which have been spread with cream cheese. Sprinkle blueberries on top. Add second layer of bread slices. Whisk together eggs, milk or cream, and maple syrup. Pour over bread. Let sit about an hour or overnight. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar. Bake in 350-degree F. oven for 45-60 minutes, or until puffed and browned on top. Serves 4.

(Recipe adapted from Blueberry Surprise French Toast Casserole by Portia Little)

Got the blues? Add 'em to bread pudding!

As I walked along Narragansett Bay today, bundled up in a heavy jacket and knit hat, I dreamed of warm beach days, cookouts on the patio, and the fresh fruits of summer. We’ll have to be patient. Not until late summer will we be able to pick fresh blueberries in this neck of the woods. Or seashore as the case may be.

But meanwhile, we have to settle for the supermarket variety, which comes from who-knows-where, to enjoy in a delightful bread pudding that’s made with only two slices of good Italian or French bread. Not the soft puffy stuff you sometimes find in the super, but the real thing with crusty outers and a hearty inner that has some clout. This is my favorite breakfast BP, topped with more of the fresh blues, and of course some whipped cream. If you’re gonna sin, you might as well start early in the day.

If I don’t have any blues on hand, I just toss in whatever fresh fruit’s in the fridge, such as strawberries or raspberries, or blackberries. I suppose you could also use chopped dried fruits such as apricots, cherries, or those things they call Craisins. I’ve never tried dried fruits in this particular BP, but it sounds like a worthwhile experiment, maybe enhanced with a little good-smelling liqueur like kirsch or amaretto.

Mmm, let’s head to the kitchen and slice the bread, then cut it into strips, then crosswise into chunks. Your morning coffee will have a friend it doesn’t want to part with.

A LITTLE BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDING

2 slices day-old Italian or French bread
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream (or half & half if you’re cutting down)
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Generous dashes nutmeg and cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh blueberries (can use frozen; do not thaw)
A few additional berries to top pudding

Cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Place in buttered or cooking-sprayed 2-1/2-cup baking dish. In bowl, whisk together egg, cream, milk, sugar, butter, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Pour over bread cubes. Let stand in fridge about 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree F. oven 30-45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream or topping, and a sprinkling of fresh blueberries. Serves 2.
(Note: make this BP the day before, then nuke until warm when ready to serve.)