Blackberry Bread Pudding

I have a freezer confession. I don’t use it very well most of the time. The ice-maker comes in handy, of course, and I couldn’t live without the freezer for the short time ice cream spends in it until it’s gone. But, when I actually store things away for a later date, I always leave them to frost over in the dark, forgotten depths. At some point, I’ll reorganize the contents only to find parts and pieces of things I thought I’d use and never did. Those quail wings intended for a stock, the extra pasta dough that I might have rolled into ravioli, and the lima beans I didn’t have time to cook last fall but was sure I’d turn into a gratin some day, were never used. I may have finally turned a corner though. During our far too short blackberry season, I popped some berries in the freezer knowing I couldn’t possibly forget those little gems. Then, when I baked those brioche pastries and used the extra dough for a brioche loaf, the bread when into the freezer. I had a vision of blackberry bread pudding happening when the time was right, and I really did it this time. There’s an Apple-Apple Bread Pudding in Baking: From My Home to Yours made with caramelized apples and apple butter. In the side-note, Dorie suggests trying the same technique with other fruits and jam. My frozen blackberries were thawed and macerated with sugar, and my brioche loaf was sliced and spread with Confituras blackberry jam for this summery bread pudding version. 

At a cooking class I attended a few years ago, I learned something about bread pudding that completely changed my thinking about it. In that class, the bread pudding was made with corners of the bread intentionally sticking up out of the custard. That way, lots of edges became crispy while the lower parts of the bread absorbed the custard. It was the good mix of textures that I really liked, and now I always keep that in mind in making bread pudding. Here, the brioche loaf was sliced and the pieces were slightly toasted in the oven to dry them. Each piece was cut in half and then spread with blackberry jam. One layer of jam-coated bread slices was placed in the baking dish, and the sugar-macerated blackberries and juice were poured over the bread. The remaining bread was arranged on top, and a rich custard made with milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla was poured over all the bread. It was left to sit so the bread could soak in the custard for about half an hour before it was baked. For baking, the dish was placed in a roasting pan and both went into a 325 degree F oven. Boiling water was poured into the roasting pan to come half-way up the side of the baking dish, and the bread pudding baked for an hour and 25 minutes. 

After it cooled for a bit, the pudding was easy to cut into wedges of custard-filled bread layered with jam and fruit. I served it with bourbon whipped cream and sliced peaches, and the crunchy tops and tender lower layers were delightful. Maybe I should start leaving notes for myself about what’s been shoved into the freezer. Or, maybe I just always need a really good plan like this one for what gets stored, and then I’ll surely make good on it. 

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Butternut Squash and Cheddar Bread Pudding

I realize I'm sort of repeating myself here, but it couldn't be helped. Butternut squash and greens are just meant to be together. The bitter greens balance the sweet squash, and I've been getting, well let's just say, a steady supply of butternut squashes from my CSA this fall. So, once again, I have for you a savory dish with that perfect pairing. I was hoping to find a dish using butternut squash that would be good for brunch, and I found just the right thing on Epicurious. This first appeared in last November's Bon Appetit in Molly Wizenberg's story about creating a vegetarian main course for Thanksgiving. It's a rich and hearty, savory bread pudding with roasted squash, sauteed greens, lots of cheddar cheese, and a custard accented with dijon mustard and white wine. It would have been very fitting on the Thanksgiving table, but it was just as nice for brunch the weekend before.

First, the squash was peeled, seeded, cubed, and roasted. I actually roasted the squash the day before and stored it in the refrigerator. Then, a baguette was cubed and soaked with the custard mixture of eggs, whole milk, white wine, dijon mustard, and salt and pepper. The recipe calls for half and half, but I lightened it up just a bit by using whole milk instead. As the bread sat to soak, fresh greens that had been coarsely chopped were sauteed with minced shallots. Kale was the recommended type of greens here, but I used the broccoli greens I had just received from my CSA. Everything was layered in a baking dish, starting with half of the bread mixture, then half of the kale, and half of the roasted squash. That was topped with shredded cheddar cheese, and the layers were repeated. The assembled bread pudding was covered with parchment and foil, and it baked for about 20 minutes. The foil and parchment were removed, and it baked an additional 20 minutes.

Bread puddings are so versatile, and they make fantastic one-dish meals for brunch. This one was delightfully full of vegetables, and I've already gone on about how much I enjoy squash with greens. The melted cheese in the center and the browned cheese on top just made it even better. Now, I need to decide how to use the four more butternut squashes that are sitting in my kitchen this week.