Puddin' Head

If I were to make a list of my favorite desserts, bread pudding would not necessarily be on it; devil's food cake, brownies, cookies, etc., are more my sweets of choice. However, I do enjoy a nice bread pudding, especially one flavored with a bit of rum or whiskey. I would also recommend the dish at Jazz Louisiana Kitchen in Columbia, which has chocolate chips instead of raisins and comes with sides of whiskey sauce and creme anglaise.

So last week, as part of my attempt to eat the food in my house, I made bread pudding. I'd been saving the heels of loaves of bread in my freezer for quite a while, and it was probably past time to use them. Ah well. I made this recipe before last summer, and it turned out nicely, though I didn't use apples or pecans. This time, I did include pecans, but used frozen blueberries as the fruit. Plus, I threw in a couple teaspoons of flax seed because I knew I'd be eating this mostly for breakfast. It turned out very yummy, and is even better with some whipped cream sprayed on top.

Apple Pecan Bread Pudding

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
3 eggs
8 slices bread, diced
2 cups half 'n' half or milk
2 medium apples
1/4 cup whiskey
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Place bread cubes in a greased 3-quart or larger slow cooker. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Mix lightly together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; add eggs and mix well. Blend in milk, and then add whiskey. Lightly mix pecans with bread and apples. Pour egg mixture over bread. Drizzle with butter.

2. Cover and cook on low until apples are tender when pierced and custard is set, about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours. Let stand, covered, for about 15 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

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