Bread Pudding, With A Twist

Many people ask me how I have the time to cook and bake so much, and they make comments about how I must spend all day in the kitchen. I don't spend all day in the kitchen, although I do spend more time there than most people. Usually I multitask, catching up on chores while something's baking. I could, and maybe should, be doing many other things with my time. I try to keep up with the laundry and maintain a relatively clean home, and I am always ferrying children around to various activities. Truthfully, I feel busier than when I was working!

Actually, I am still working, only now I am a stay at home mom, and I don't get set breaks every day. Nap time is now only one hour, and that's usually spent catching up with whatever I have in the works. I enjoy making good things for my family. It makes me feel good to give them good, wholesome foods to eat, and if they're going to eat sweets, then it's nice to know they're not ingesting all sorts of unknown preservatives and things that aren't good for their bodies (with the exception of sugar, HA!). I try to maintain some sort of moderation, making smaller portions of things we don't need to consume too often, which enables us to eat other treats on a smaller scale too.

I have always cooked/baked, so this is certainly nothing new. After my son was born, however, I was standing in a grocery store reading the labels on different types of bread. Have you ever done that before? I was so turned off by the preservatives that I thought I should try to find a recipe for a decent whole wheat loaf. After I nailed that I got tired of buying other things that just weren't very good and increasing in cost as well, so I started making those things too. You get used to the flavor and quality difference of homemade versus store bought. And when I come upon something that's really good in a restaurant I'll try to identify what's in it and make my own version. Even though I find myself spending more on groceries and buying somewhat exotic ingredients from time to time, I justify it because we don't eat out very often. Rarely, in fact, unless we're on vacation and I don't have access to a kitchen.

On the dessert front, I probably do too much with sugar and butter, not entirely following my own advice for moderation. Like I said above, I try to cut recipes in half to make smaller portions (and not have leftovers) and often we share with lucky family members or friends. It's become somewhat of a hobby and I enjoy doing it. It's fun to try new things and have success! We make it a point to get a lot of exercise (although it would be nice to do even more, of course); my kids are active and in sports, my husband does Crossfit, and I make it a point to do as much walking as I can in a day. Eventually, when my two year old gets in school, I will pick back up my pilates and yoga schedule and maybe add something else in there too. But we also watch what we eat the whole day, the whole week, and try not to overdo the treats too much (we never drink soda).

That said, I am on to the next dessert, a killer one that I've been wanting to try out for a while. We definitely won't be eating more than one small serving each of this one! A bread pudding made with buttery, bakery-fresh croissants and farm-fresh eggs....

Croissant Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

I bought the croissants freshly made for this dessert at Green Blade Bakery. The quality of your final dessert will reflect on the quality of ingredients you use, so find the best croissants you possibly can, especially since they are the main ingredient! This would be a fabulous make ahead dessert for a dinner party.

3-4 croissants
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cream or half and half
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square glass pan.

Whisk together eggs and sugar, mixing well. Whisk in cream and vanilla until sugar has dissolved.

Cut the croissants in half lengthwise. Lay one layer in the bottom of the pan (you may need to cut them again crosswise to fit). Pour half of the egg mixture over the top. Arrange the other croissant pieces over the top. Pour the remaining egg mixture over, pressing down with a spoon to saturate.

Place pan in a 13x9" baking pan lined with a towel. Pour boiling water halfway up the side. Carefully place in the oven. Bake 40-60 minutes or until custard has set. Remove from water bath. Serve warm, or cool and place in the fridge until needed, warming before serving.

Serves about 6 and can be easily doubled to fit in a 13x9" pan (use a roasting pan for the water bath).


Whiskey Sauce

I made this with 2 tbsp of whiskey and found it a bit strong. Taste and adjust to your liking!

3 eggs yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp whiskey
pinch nutmeg

Set a pot of water to simmer on the stove. In a double boiler, place the yolks (off the heat) and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until pale and thickened. Beat in whiskey and nutmeg. Place pan over the simmering water. With mixer on low, beat until thickened and very warm. Serve immediately with the croissant pudding.