Dreamy French Bread Pudding Food

FRENCH TOAST BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Arrange the bread in two layers in a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish, cutting the bread to fit the dish. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, honey, orange zest, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread and press the bread down. Allow to soak for 10 minutes.
• Place the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and add enough very hot tap water to the roasting pan to come an inch up the side of the baking dish. Cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, tenting it so the foil doesn't touch the pudding. Make two slashes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
• With a small sieve, dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve hot in squares with maple syrup on the side.

FRENCH BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut bread in 1-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Pour milk over it; let stand for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2-inch oven-to-table baking dish.
• In another bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir this into the bread mixture. Add the dried cherries.
• Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool to room temperature, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before reheating. Reheat, covered with foil, at 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pass a pitcher of cream to moisten.

FRENCH ONION BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, saute the onions, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the clarified butter over medium-high heat; stir constantly to prevent burning. Cook until golden brown. Add sherry and stir to lift any caramelized onion on the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Spread out the bread pieces evenly on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 5 to 8 minutes to dry the bread slightly but not to add color. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk together the eggs, cream, mustard, thyme, the remaining salt, and pepper. Soak the bread in the egg mixture for 5 minutes.
• In a casserole dish, layer the bread with the onions and cheese. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.

SPICED FRENCH BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• cut bread into 1 inch cubes, place in ungreased 13x9-inch pan and either dry in warm oven for a couple of hours, toast lightly in 350°F oven (preferred), or toast in 350°F oven till light brown and dry.
• Chop or puree raisins.
• Sift or sieve sugar, spices and salt into a plastic bag and shake to mix.
• Heat milk, butter, eggs, yolks, raisins and sugar mixture in a sauce pan on low heat stirring constantly until butter's melted and sugar is dissolved, remove from heat if steam starts to appear.
• (You don't want to cook the eggs just yet!)
• Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and immediately pour custard over dried bread.
• If desired strain mixture with a fine strainer to remove raisins and any egg chalazae.
• Mix and press down on bread to be sure it's all covered.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Allow custard to soak into bread cubes until cooled (about an hour).
• Occasionally stirring to evenly distribute mixture.
• Can be refrigerated for up-to 12 hours at this point.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes (top will be browned and pudding should start to rise out of the pan).
• --------Variations--------------.
• Add a cup of toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts to custard.
• Replace 1/2 tbsp of the vanilla with another extract or liquor.
• Add some white, cinnamon or chocolate chips to custard.
• Replace 1/2 of the milk with heavy cream or 1/2 and 1/2 (makes it rich!).
• Use skim milk, delete butter, use whole wheat bread, reduce sugar to 1 cup, replace eggs/yolks with egg substitute for a "healthy version".
• Add some dried apple or banana to custard.
• Use 1 cup of sugar and add 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
• Replace up-to half the sugar with brown sugar.
• Serve with bourbon sauce, whip cream, ice cream.

DREAMY FRENCH BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Lightly grease a 13" x 9" baking dish. Tear or cube the French bread into 1" pieces and place in the baking dish.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, orange juice, zest and vanilla extract. Set 1/4 cup of sugar aside.
• Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and Rice Dream to the egg mixture; whisking well until blended. Stir in the raisins and nuts if using.
• Pour the mixture over the French bread then lightly stir the mixture to coat and to prevent the bread pudding from burning.
• Let stand for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the mixture.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, remove foil and sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
• Baked uncovered for another 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and pudding "puffs" up. Add the almonds last 10-15 minutes of baking.
• Serve warm. Dollop with non dairy topping or fresh whipping cream if desired.

FRENCH BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs, cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins, mixing well. Pour into a 9-inch square pan 1-3/4 inches deep. Arrange bread slices flat in the egg mixture and let stand for 5 minutes to soak up the liquid. Turn bread over and let stand for 10 minutes longer, then push it down so it is covered by the egg mixture (do not break bread). Set pan in larger pan filled with water to 1/2-inch from top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes, uncovering pudding for the last 10 minutes to brown the top. When done, custard should be soft, not firm.
• BOURBON SAUCE: Combine sugar, cream/evaporated milk, cinnamon, and butter/margarine in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch mixed with 1/4-cup water. Cook, stirring, until sauce is clear. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey.

DREAMY RICE PUDDING

Steps:

• Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and use the tip of a sharp knife to scrape the seeds into a large saucepan.
• Add the milk and cream to the pan and start to cook over a low heat.
• Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• When the milk boils, stir in the rice and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until the rice is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed.
• While the rice is cooking, beat together the egg yolks and sugar until you have a fluffy mixture that has at least doubled in size.
• Remove the cooked rice from the heat and add the egg mixture gradually into the rice.
• Beat well so the egg doesn't curdle.
• Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over a low heat for about five minutes without allowing the mixture to boil.
• Let it cool, stirring occasionally.
• Serve as it is, warm or cold.
• For extra special occasions swirl in some stewed fruits (rhubarb or strawberries are good) or, while the rice is cooking, add a bit of orange juice and zest.

DREAMY VANILLA PUDDING

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine milk and butter and bring to a boil.
• In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
• Slowly whisk 1 cupful of the milk mixture into the egg mixture before adding all to the milk mixture.
• Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes while constantly stirring.
• Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Store with plastic wrap over top so that it does not form a skin.
• Refridgerate left-overs.