Orange ginger custard sauce tops pumpkin bread pudding

Pumpkin bread puddings seem to be popping up everywhere, and just in time for holiday feasting. Of course, we’ll feature the usual array of pies and holiday cookies this Thanksgiving. And along with the ‘experimental stuffing’ in the turkey, we’ll add a new dessert. Perhaps a bread pudding? You can bet on it.

This pudding is rich with challah or egg bread, and is topped with a fragrant custard sauce flavored with fresh orange and ginger. The recipe was suggested by Marlene of suburban Phoenix. Move over pumpkin pie!

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH ORANGE GINGER CUSTARD SAUCE

9 cups challah or other egg bread, torn into chunks (about 1 lb.)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
One 16-ounce can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Orange ginger custard sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Put bread in large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together cream, pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar and all spices. Pour over bread and stir to blend, pushing bread down into mixture. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. At this point, you can refrigerate for up to 72 hours.
Bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake pudding until puffed and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve individual portions in a pool of custard sauce, or drizzle sauce over the top. Variation: Sprinkle pudding with about 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts before baking to send it over the top!

Orange Ginger Custard Sauce:
3 cups whole milk
Zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons. orange liqueur or orange extract

In medium pan, heat milk, orange zest, and ginger over medium high heat until milk begins to form bubbles around sides of pan. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Strain zest and ginger out of milk, returning milk to the pan. Wisk in sugar, cornstarch, and egg yolks and, over medium heat, whisk until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream and liqueur. Transfer to glass bowl, let cool slightly and press plastic wrap directly against surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. At this point, you may refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 month. When ready to serve, rewhisk sauce and serve cold or warm. Makes about 3 cups.
You may also serve this gingery smooth custard sauce with apple cake, gingerbread, spice cake or this bread pudding.
(Recipe from The Diva's Famous Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner - from Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead, Diane Phillips)

Ambrosia bread pudding is blast from the past

Remember that fruit concoction from way back in the seventies that someone labeled “Ambrosia”? I must have been in a nostalgic frame of mind recently when I dredged that one out for a family cookout. I tossed some canned pineapple tidbits, mandarin orange segments, and mini marshmallows together with sour cream and let it sit for a while in the fridge.

Some people at the gathering oohed and ahhed about it (obviously too young to remember that it was a staple at every picnic several decades ago), while others said it was either too sweet, or they preferred fresh fruit, thank you.

So I was left with some of this goopy salad after the outing. And, with stale bread beckoning also, I consulted Spooky the culinary feline, about combining all this stuff into a bread pudding. She said, “Go for it!” We added a few chopped maraschino cherries, for color and a little added ‘oomph,’ to the mix. And her advice was, as usual dependable, and we wound up with a darn good bread pudding. And I can’t believe I actually did this!

AMBROSIA BREAD PUDDING

2 to 3 cups stale bread cubes
1 cup ambrosia salad (see below)
1 tablespoon finely chopped maraschino cherries
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 tablespoon butter

Place bread cubes in bottom of buttered or cooking-sprayed 1-1/2-quart (6-cup) baking dish. Gently mix in ambrosia and chopped cherries. In bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, and orange juice. Stir in coconut extract. Pour liquid ingredients over bread mixture in pan. Scatter bits of butter on top. Let sit about 30 minutes. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until puffy on top and slightly browned. Serve with your favorite topping. Serves 6.

© 2008, recipe by Portia Little.
(Ambrosia: Combine equal amounts of pineapple tidbits, mandarin oranges, and mini marshmallows with sour cream until it meshes together well; let sit in fridge for a couple of hours to combine.)

Mother's Day Bread Pudding bakes in slow cooker

We’ll have the whole gang coming here for Mother’s Day. At the last count the guest list numbered fourteen, with the possibility of even more warm bodies. And as a mom of three and a grandmom of six, I’m working on a menu that will include easy dishes to make ahead.

So why aren’t we just going out and giving Mom/Grandmom a break, you ask? Hmm, well uh, I volunteered for this party, and with everyone chipping in to bring something, it will be a bit more relaxing (did I really say that?) than going out to a restaurant with the baby and toddler set.

Of course, one of the menu items will be a bread pudding. Something light and with a citrus scent for a touch of spring. I’ve decided to make an Orange Marmalade Bread Pudding in the slow cooker. Sitting in its own little corner of the kitchen counter, leaving the oven free to bake other dishes. This BP takes about two hours, more or less, as it puffs up and fills the house with a delectable aroma.

As a variation, you could substitute other thick-textured jams such as peach or strawberry for the marmalade. For my money, though you can’t beat the orange citrus scent. Try adding a handful of chopped nuts, perhaps macadamias, for some extra crunch.

ORANGE MARMALADE BREAD PUDDING (Slow Cooker)

Butter or cooking spray
5 to 6 cups white or egg bread, cut into cubes
1-1/4 cups orange marmalade
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half & half
1/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Coat bottom and sides of slow cooker with butter or cooking spray. Place bread cubes in cooker. Pour marmalade over bread and stir to combine. In bowl, whisk together milk, half & half, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and Grand Marnier. Pour mixture over bread. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until puffed up and fully cooked in center. Serve warm topped with whipped cream, ice cream, or topping. Serves 8.