bread gifts

I know this doesn't look that appetizing, but hear me out. The other day my colleague Bill was walking around with a big loaf of bread and he didn't apparently want this gift loaf so of course I'm the obvious person who will take it off his hands. Then I had some intense lapse of mental capacity and forgot about it. How I managed to forget about a nice loaf of bread is beyond me, but by the time I remembered it was hard as a rock. Luckily, the voice of Bosslady Beth singing out "bread pudding!" resounded in my ears and I knew exactly what to do.



I would abandon my plan to make a simple pear tart and instead make a pear bread pudding, dosed with some Pear William Brandy. A little searching found not only a pear bread pudding recipe, but a supposedly healthy Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding. Now, in all seriousness, no bread pudding is going to be healthy, but I guess the use of low-fat milk instead of heavy cream and the moderate amount of sugar makes this somewhat less indulgent. Luckily, it still tasted indulgent, and the mild sweetness of the pears was the perfect balance to the dense custardy bread. I worked the pear brandy in by soaking the golden raisins in it for a while and dumping the whole lot into the mix before baking. A custardy rich bread pudding that you don't have to feel terrible about.

By the way, in other bread gift news, Bosslady Beth just gave me a gift card to Amy's Bread. Yes, that is how much I love carbs. Recipe after the jump:

CARAMELIZED PEAR BREAD PUDDING
Adapted from Eating Well.com

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups cubed, day-old country-style bread, crusts trimmed (4-6 slices), preferably whole-wheat
2 tablespoons golden raisins
3 tablespoons pear brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
2 ripe bosc pears, peeled, halved and cored
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Soak the raisins in the pear brandy while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended; gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar. Slowly whisk in the hot milk until blended. Whisk in vanilla, lemon zest and nutmeg.
2. Add bread and raisins with the brandy to the milk mixture; gently fold together. Press down lightly with the back of a large spoon. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
3. Butter the bottom and sides of a round 2-quart baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
4. Cut each pear half lengthwise into 4 slices. Place in a medium bowl and toss with lemon juice.
5. Heat a medium skillet over low heat until hot. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and swirl until just melted and the foam subsides. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the melted butter. Arrange the pear slices on their sides in the pan in an even layer. Increase the heat to medium-low and, without stirring, let the pears begin to brown and the sauce slowly caramelize, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully turn each pear slice with a fork. Return to the heat and cook until the sauce is uniformly golden, 2 to 4 minutes more.
6. Carefully transfer the pears one at a time to the prepared baking dish, arranging them decoratively in a circle and slightly overlapping them if necessary. Use a heatproof silicone spatula to scrape any remaining syrup over the pears.
7. Set the baking dish in a shallow baking pan. Spoon the bread and custard mixture into the baking dish. Press down on the bread until it is submerged in the custard. Place the pan in the oven and carefully add the hot water to the shallow baking pan until it is halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
8. Bake until the pudding is browned on top and set in the center, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and let cool for at least 45 minutes. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the pudding. Place a serving platter over it and invert the pudding onto the platter.