Puddings, Custards and Mousses

Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding

Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding
Blueberries are delicious when they are in season, jammy with a deep sweetness that you don’t always find in other berries. The most-baked blueberry treats are Blueberry Muffins, hands down. And while I love a great blueberry muffin, there are so many more blueberry treats to try than …

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Blueberries are delicious when they are in season, jammy with a deep sweetness that you don’t always find in other berries. The most-baked blueberry treats are Blueberry Muffins, hands down. And while I love a great blueberry muffin, there are so many more blueberry treats to try than that breakfast favorite. This Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding is delicious and summery blueberry dessert option that you can add to your repertoire!

Like most bread puddings, this Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding starts with lots of cubed bread. You can use a white sandwich bread or a richer bread, such as challah or brioche. The richer breads make an even more indulgent pudding, but most breads will work. The bread doesn’t need to be stale to make a good pudding, even though this is a great use of an older loaf of bread. You will need 1/2 – 2/3 of an average-size loaf.

The bread is combined with heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar and both vanilla and almond extracts. The combination of heavy cream and milk makes this pudding rich, with a melt-in-your-mouth feel when you take a bite. I always feel like bread pudding should be an indulgent and satisfying dessert, so using some heavy cream is the perfect way to get that texture. Once you have the base put together, blueberries are folded in. I used fresh blueberries and highly recommend using them if they’re in season. Frozen berries can be substituted, but I recommend tossing them in a tablespoon of flour before folding them in so that they don’t bleed into the bread pudding batter.

Once baked, allow the bread pudding to cool before serving it. You can serve it while it is slightly warm for a classic bread pudding presentation, or you can chill it completely for more of a contrast on a hot summer evening. Either way, I like to add a spoonful of whipped cream to each slice as I plate it. Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator and can be reheated to serve.

Blueberries and Cream Bread Pudding
6 cups cubed bread (preferably challah or brioche), about 1/2 large loaf
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk (whole or lowfat)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until ingredients are well combined.
Place the bread cubes into a large bowl and pour the egg mixture over the top. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to gently press the bread down into the custard to make sure that each piece of bread gets a chance to soak up the milk mixture. Allow bread to stand for 10-15 minutes. Fold blueberries into the bread mixture.
Pour pudding mixture into prepared baking dish.
Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the pudding is set and a sharp knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean.
Let the pudding cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. It can be served warm or cold.

Serves 8-10

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Individual Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes

These Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes are inspired by Irish coffee, a classic coffee drink made with whipped cream and Irish whiskey. The coffee drink will warm you up on a cold night and this dessert, served warm, will do the same.

Chocolate pudding cakes are wonderful desserts that are …

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Individual Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes

Chocolate pudding cakes are wonderful desserts that are perfect for treating yourself on a lazy night in. They’re delicious and easy to make, with a two-part batter that bakes into a separate cake and sauce in one dish in the oven. Pudding cakes are often baked in large casserole dishes and are simply spooned out to serve. This casual presentation means that, while they’re certainly indulgent, they’re rarely anyone’s top choice for an elegant dinner party dessert. One way to give your pudding cakes a visual upgrade is to bake them in ramekins and turn one large casserole into decadent individual portions.

The Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes start with a chocolate batter that uses cocoa powder for a deep, bittersweet chocolate flavor and a generous dose of instant espresso. The cake batter comes together very easily and is portioned into ramekins. Next, each portion if batter is topped with a topping that sinks beneath the cake and turns into a saucy “pudding” during baking. I describe the sauce ingredients as a “topping” in the recipe below because the ingredients are not mixed together before they are added to the ramekins. Instead, they are simply added to the top of each cake (like a “topping”) and become a sauce as the cake bakes. The sauce includes a dose of Irish whiskey for each dessert and you’ll get a subtle hint of it in each serving, though this has much, much less alcohol per serving than the coffee cocktail does. Serve the pudding cakes warm for best results.

The pudding cakes will be nicely puffed when they come out of the oven but, like a souffle, they will fall as they cool. The steam in the airy cake keeps the cake rising high while it is in the oven, however the whole dessert is so moist (there is a pudding layer under there!) that it simply sinks slightly as it cools. You’ll still get the lovely layers of cake and sauce in every bite, however. I like to serve mine plain, but you can use the sunken cake to your advantage by filling the depression with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of ice cream before serving.

Individual Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes

Individual Irish Coffee Chocolate Pudding Cakes
Cake
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant espresso powder
or 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

Topping
6 tbsp brown sugar
6 tsp (3 tbsp) unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp Irish whiskey
3/4 cup hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350F. Place 6 8-oz ramekins on a baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in cocoa powder, instant espresso powder and vanilla extract until ingredients are well-combined. Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk. Stir in remaining flour mixture. Divide mixture evenly into prepared ramekins.
Top each ramekin with 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp cocoa powder, 1 tbsp Irish whisky and 2 tbsp hot coffee. Do not mix.
Place tray with ramekins in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until the tops of the puddings are set and the sauce is bubbling slightly around the edges of the ramekins.
Allow puddings to cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

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Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Creme Brulee

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Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Pumpkin pie is a wonderful dessert, but it isn’t the only treat that you can make with pumpkin during the fall baking season. Pumpkin can be incorporated into a wide variety of muffins, breads and cakes. It can also work its way into fall versions of even more classic desserts, such as a creme brulee. My Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Creme Brulee puts a seasonal twist on a timeless classic, adding pumpkin puree and a bit of spice for a dessert that captures the fall flavors you love in an elegant way.

This creme brulee is flavored with vanilla bean and a little bit of nutmeg, but also contains pumpkin puree. Vanilla bean really gives a beautiful flavor to any milk or cream based dessert, and it uplifts the pumpkin puree, keeping the dessert feeling rich but light. Nutmeg enhances the vanilla bean without making the custard to spice-heavy. As much as I enjoy pumpkin pie spice, creme brulee isn’t a dessert that you want to turn into a spice-bomb.

Be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which may contain additional sweeteners in it. Pumpkin puree should be nothing more than pure pumpkin! Most commercially made pumpkin purees will be quite smooth, but the custard should be strained before baking just to ensure it doesn’t contain any lumps.

The custards can be prepared a day or so in advance and stored in the refrigerator, but they should be bruleed just before serving. For the brulee, a generous amount of sugar should be added to the top of the custard and spread (or shaken) until it is even. Then, the sugar can be caramelized with a kitchen torch until it is golden. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can pop the custards until a hot broiler for a minute to caramelize them.

Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Creme Brulee

And if you love the idea of a brulee, but you just can’t help yourself from sticking with a pumpkin pie for your next pumpkin dessert, let me point you in the direction of my Bruleed Pumpkin Pie, which features a caramelized topping exactly like the one you would find on a creme brulee. It’s an easy variation on a traditional pie and one that will make your dessert a little bit more memorable!

Vanilla Bean Pumpkin Creme Brulee
1/2 vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 300F. Arrange six, shallow 6-oz ramekins in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Split vanilla bean and use the back of a knife or a spoon to scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Add vanilla bean seeds and pod to heavy cream and milk. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
After vanilla has finished steeping, remove vanilla bean pod, then bring back to a simmer
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugars, egg yolks, pumpkin and nutmeg.
Slowly stream the hot milk mixture into the pumpkin mixture, while whisking continuously to temper the eggs without cooking them. Strain pumpkin custard through a fine strainer into a large measuring cup to remove any lumps.
Divide the pumpkin mixture evenly between the prepared ramekins. Fill the baking dish containing ramekins with hot water, until the water reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the custards are set. (if using deeper ramekins, baking time will be slightly longer and yield will be one less). Allow them to cool in the water bath, then refrigerate until cold (at least 2 hours). Custards can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
Just before serving, top each custard 1-2 tsp of sugar, turning the ramekin to coat the surface of the custard.
Caramelize sugar with a kitchen torch or by putting ramekins under the broiler for about 1 minute, watching closely.

Serves 6

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Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Bread Pudding

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Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is always a good choice when you’re in need of a comforting dessert. The custard-based pudding is rich in texture and flavor – and the fact that it can be served warm always seems to add another layer of indulgence to each serving. There is no time of year that calls for comfort food more than the fall and winter holiday seasons, and that means that this Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Bread Pudding is a perfect option for dessert during that time of year.

The bread pudding is made with pumpkin puree and a generous amount of pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice, or pumpkin pie spice, is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger that is typically included in pumpkin pies and other pumpkin desserts. You have undoubtedly had it in a pumpkin spice latte, even if you weren’t familiar with the individual spices that went into the mix in the first place! The spices add a delicious warmth to the natural sweetness of pumpkin puree, which is further enhanced in this dessert with brown sugar and vanilla.

Bread puddings are usually soft and custardy, without much texture of their own. In this recipe, I add in a generous amount of toasted pecans. The flavor of the pecans works beautifully with the pumpkin spice elements, as well as adding a nice crunch to each serving of bread pudding. Toasted pecans will give you the best results in this recipe, as they will hold up to the custard without loosing their texture. Feel free to use pecans that are both roasted and salted if you like a little extra salty-sweetness in your desserts (I do!). I like to toss a few extra on top for garnish, to hint at the flavors that are inside the bread pudding.

This recipe makes a generous batch of bread pudding and you might not have a large enough gathering to serve it all at once. Fortunately, bread pudding keeps very well and the leftovers are just as delicious as the freshly baked dessert. If you do have leftovers, store them in the fridge. You can serve them cold or reheat individual portions in the microwave for a few minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Bread Pudding
2 3/4 cups milk (pref. whole)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (1-15 oz can)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
9-10 cups cubed bread (pref. white bread or brioche)
1 cup coarsely chopped, toasted pecans
topping: 2 tbsp sugar + 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, for topping

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice until very smooth.
Place cubed bread in a large bowl, and pour pumpkin mixture over the top. Use a spatula to gently fold the bread cubes until they are well coated. Allow bread mixture to stand for 20 minutes to soak up the custard mixture.
Pour bread custard mixture into prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the bread pudding.
Bake for 40 minutes, until the pudding springs back when lightly pressed and a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Leftovers should be cooled completely and stored in the refrigerator.

Serves 10-12

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Honey Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

Honey Creme Brulee

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Honey Creme Brulee

Creme brulees never go out of style in my book – especially when you’re making them at home so that you can put a twist on this very classic dessert! This Honey Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee recipe is a new favorite of mine. The silky smooth custard is sweetened with honey and vanilla bean, giving it a rich sweetness along with a wonderful floral vanilla flavor. The vanilla bean really pairs beautifully with the honey, making this dessert both delicious and decadent!

The custard is easy to make and uses heavy cream and whole milk as a base. The fat in the dairy is what makes this custard silky smooth and velvety, so this is one dessert where you don’t want to substitute lower fat dairy if you want to get the best possible results. The recipe starts by infusing the cream and milk mixture with vanilla bean. If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, you can use vanilla extract and stir it into the milk and egg mixture before dividing it into ramekins.

The custard is sweetened with both honey and sugar. Most of the flavor comes from the honey, and each honey has its own unique flavor, so be sure to choose a honey that you like. I like wildflower, orange and acacia for this recipe, but just give your honey a taste before you incorporate it into the custard to be on the safe side.

Honey Creme Brulee

Bake your custards in a water bath, allow them to cool and then chill them before bruleeing the tops. I find that the best way to serve these is when the caramel layer on top is still slightly warm and the custard is cold, an effect that I get by using a kitchen torch to brulee the custard just before serving. For a perfect crust, try to use superfine sugar to create a thick and even layer of sugar on the cold custard, then use the torch in small circles to caramelize it without burning. If you’re not serving all the custards at once, store the extras for up to 2 days in the fridge and brulee just before indulging.

Honey Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee
1/2 vanilla bean
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
hot water, for water bath
sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 325F. Arrange six 6-oz ramekins in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Split vanilla bean and use the back of a knife or a spoon to scrape out the vanilla bean seeds. Add vanilla bean seeds and pod to heavy cream and milk. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean pod, then bring back to a simmer.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, salt, eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Whisking constantly, very slowly stream the hot milk mixture in to temper the eggs. Strain mixture into a large measuring cup or a bowl with a pouring spout.
Divide mixture evenly into prepared ramekins. Place pan onto a rack in the oven, and pour boiling water into the pan around the ramekins so that water comes two thirds up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until custards are set and have only a slight jiggle to them. A very sharp knife inserted into the center of a custard should come out clean.
Carefully remove tray from oven and allow custards to cool in the water bath. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating, then cover with plastic wrap and chill completely before adding topping.
Custards can be prepared up to two days in advance.

For topping: Add about a tablespoon of sugar onto the top of each custard and spread into an even layer. Using a kitchen torch and moving it slowly, but constantly, caramelize the topping. Topping can also be caramelized under the broiler.
Allow caramel to set for a minute before serving.

Serves 6

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