Comfort foods are the equivalent of a massive hug from your portly Aunt Marge. You’re wholly enveloped by the flabby arms of a woman who was named after a saturated fat.
It feels really good—if you’re in need of such a thing.
We can’t find the answers to all of life’s questions in the space of a day, but we sure can enjoy muddling over the possibilities while huddling over a bowl of bread pudding.
This, for me, is the pinnacle of food euphoria. It’s warm. It’s sweet. It’s like eating a quilt. It bear hugs you from the inside.
Sir Sackier was busy in the kitchen again this week, looking for ways to satiate the beasts of our bellies. And since the English made a practice of slaying ancient beasts and know a thing or two about puddings, we sat up and took notice. Shortly thereafter, we slumped and snored. Boy, was it worth it.
Cave in to the carbohydrate cuddle and coma. Bread pudding; it’s like a edible teddy bear.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
A perfect mixture of Jewish carbs and Southern hospitality. Of course, you can substitute any other kind of tasty bread. This time we used Panera’s Pumpkin Spice bagels, but most often challah is our bread of choice (which, in turn, makes it into challah bread pudding).
Pudding
- 3 cups of milk – if feeling decadent go whole milk, if feeling guilty go 2%. After all, this is bread pudding
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla essence
- 3 large eggs
- One ounce of butter
- 4 Pumpkin Spice bagels (found in the fall at Panera’s)
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- One teaspoon of cinnamon
- Half cup of golden raisins
- Half cup of dried cherries
- Half cup of pecan halves – for more decadence use pecans coated in vanilla sugar
Bourbon sauce
- 4 ounces of butter
- 4 ounces of brown sugar
- 4 fluid ounces of cream
- Several generous slugs of good bourbon to taste – and you should do so frequently while making this.
Heat oven to 325°. Mix milk, sugar and vanilla, lightly beat eggs and add to milk mixture. Butter a 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish and chuck the bread into the dish, mixing in the dried fruit and nuts. Pour over the milk mixture and stir it around so all is absorbed. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes and then remix. Pop into oven for 35-40 minutes until golden on top.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix brown sugar and butter in saucepan and slowly melt, stirring. Add bourbon to taste. Blend in cream to taste.
Serve hot with some great vanilla bean or other ice cream. Oy ve, y’all!
Now don’t forget to head on over to the main post (here) to see what I’m bletherin’ on about this week. And check out what we’re talkin’ bout down at the pub (here) too!
Shelley Sackier 