Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding With Stone Fruit Food

LEMON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread out on a baking sheet to dry out for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Grease a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, eggs and lemon zest and juice. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Put the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Pour the liquid over the bread. Let the bread soak up the liquid while you preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Serve warm with Bourbon Whipped Cream.
• Combine the heavy cream, sugar and bourbon in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer and begin mixing immediately on high speed until stiff, about 4 minutes.

MEYER LEMON BREAD PUDDING WITH STONE FRUIT

Steps:

• Ingredients for pudding: 3 cups bread cubes (about ¾ inch cubes). (Stale bread works better but if you don't have it use fresh cubed and toasted in the oven till a little dried out). Choose whatever bread you like. A combo of honey wheat and white looks pretty. I like to use leftover homemade white bread cubes.
• 2 ½ cups milk 3-4 large eggs 2 tablespoons Meyer Lemon infused olive oil (or juice from one Meyer lemon plus the zest, or lemon flavoring) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon Mix of all the above until creamy. (The oil will float to the top but that's okay). Pour over bread cubes. Let soak while preparing the fruit. Pour the mixture into your baking dish (small casserole). Top with ¼ cup dark brown sugar (sprinkled over the top). Allow the sugar to stand on top of the bread mixture until it starts to become a syrup. Then slowly stir it into the bread mixture making some swirls of sugar.
• 1 small nectarine 1 small plum 1 small pluot (plum/apricot) Remove the stones and slice into wedges approximately ¼ to ½ inches thick. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and start a teakettle on the stove. In a non-stick saute pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble add the fruit and stir around until it starts to soften a little (doesn't have to cook through because it will be baked with the pudding). Add 2 tablespoons of Vanilla flavored Whiskey or Bourbon or vanilla liquor or flavoring. Allow the fruit to cook a little longer (about 3 minutes or so). Then add 2 heaping tablespoons of dark brown sugar to create the glaze. Cook another few minutes until sugar has dissolved and starting to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Yes, the bread mixture has been soaking all this time. It's a good thing! Now top the pudding gently with the fruit and some of the glaze (reserve some for serving, yum). Cover with aluminum foil. Set a rectangular baking pan on the middle oven rack (pulled out half way works well) set your pudding in the center and carefully pour in the hot water from the teakettle. Bake at 300 for 1 hour. Carefully remove the foil (without removing the pudding from the water bath) and return to the oven at 350 for ½ hour more (or until center is set). Allow to cool some before serving. Great warm or cold! Enjoy!

MEYER LEMON & BLACKBERRY BREAD PUDDING WITH MEYER LEMON WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the bread cubes on a large baking sheet in a single layer and toast until lightly golden brown on all sides, turning a few times, about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Bring cream, 1 cup of sugar, and lemon zest, to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together the eggs and yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the eggs and add the vanilla.
• Transfer the bread cubes to a 9 by 15-inch baking dish, pour the custard mixture over and press on the bread to submerge in the custard. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb more of the custard. Add ½ of the blackberries during this stage if desired or save all for a topping later with the whipped cream.
• Place the baking dish inside a larger roasting pan and fill the outer pan with warm water halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until puffed around the outside but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.
• To make whipped cream, combine the heavy cream, sugar, juice, zest and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whip with a balloon whisk until soft peaks form. Top pudding with dollops of cream and remainder of berries.

MEYER LEMON AND BLACKBERRY BREAD PUDDING WITH MEYER LEMON WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the bread cubes on a large baking sheet in a single layer and toast until lightly golden brown on all sides, turning a few times, about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Bring cream, 1 cup of sugar, and lemon zest, to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk together the eggs and yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the eggs and add the vanilla.
• Transfer the bread cubes to a 9 by 15-inch baking dish, pour the custard mixture over and press on the bread to submerge in the custard. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to absorb more of the custard.
• Place the baking dish inside a larger roasting pan and fill the outer pan with warm water halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until puffed around the outside but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving. Toss the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the blackberries. Serve bread pudding topped with macerated berries and Meyer Lemon Whipped Cream.
• Combine the heavy cream, sugar, juice, zest and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whip with a balloon whisk until soft peaks form.

MEYER LEMON BUTTERMILK PUDDING CAKE WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Blend buttermilk, 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, flour, butter, and salt in blender until smooth. Transfer buttermilk mixture to medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry. Gently fold buttermilk mixture into whites in 3 additions (batter will be runny).
• Pour batter into prepared dish. Place dish in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of dish. Bake until entire top is evenly browned and cake moves very slightly in center but feels slightly springy to touch, about 45 minutes. Remove dish from roasting pan.
• Cool cake completely in baking dish on rack. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 6 hours. Spoon pudding cake out into shallow bowls. Pour cream around cake. Top with berries.

HEAVENLY LEMON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Butter the bottom only of a 2-quart casserole or soufflé dish.
• Combine bread cubes and lemon zest in large bowl.
• Set aside.
• Combine whipping cream, milk, sugar, butter and salt in a heavy saucepan.
• Over medium heat, cook until butter melts, stirring occasionally.
• Pour over bread mixture, and toss.
• Allow to cool.
• Lightly beat the egg yolks, then beat in the lemon juice, and stir into the bread mixture.
• Set aside.
• Beat egg whites in large bowl of electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
• Do not overbeat.
• Gently fold egg whites into bread mixture.
• Pour bread mixture into prepared dish, and bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean.
• The top of the pudding should be golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• Dust with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
• Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.
• NOTE:*If your bread is less than a day old, you can"age" it by placing slices in a 300°F oven for 15 or 20 minutes, or until some of the moisture is baked out.

MEYER-LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
• In a small bowl mix together the sugar and flour and set aside.
• In another bowl stir together the lemon juice, melted butter, and lemon zest. Add this to the flour mixture and stir well.
• In yet another bowl whisk the egg yolks and the buttermilk. Add to the lemon mixture and stir well. If you are using regular lemons, taste to be sure the mixture is sweet enough.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the lemon-egg yolk mixture.
• Butter and sugar 6 soufflé cups or ramekins and fill 3/4 full. Bake in a water bath until top feels slightly firm, about 40 minutes. Do not brown.
• Let cool to room temperature and then chill for 2 hours to overnight. The pudding cakes can be served in the ramekins with the cake on top, or inverted onto plates so that the pudding layer is on top.
• Whip cream and a teaspoon of the sugar together and set aside.
• To serve, garnish the chilled cakes with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle a little zest on top.