Christmas Bread Pudding With Sherry Sauce Recipes

BREAD PUDDING WITH SHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup Sherry to boil in a heavy small saucepan. Add currants. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes to plump.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Whisk milk, sugar, eggs, yolks, vanilla and cinnamon in large bowl. Arrange half of bread on bottom of prepared dish. Spoon Sherry and currants over. Arrange remaining bread over. Pour egg mixture over all. Let stand 15 minutes, pressing bread into egg mixture occasionally. Bake pudding until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer to rack.
• Bring half and half to a simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in hot half and half. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Strain into bowl. Stir in Sherry. Serve pudding warm with warm sauce.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• For the pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium pot add the cream, milk, liquid from the cherries, maple syrup and salt and bring to a boil.
• In a separate bowl crack and whisk the eggs. In a larger bowl add the dark chocolate.
• Pour the warm liquid into the dark chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Slowly whisk in the eggs. Mix in the diced baguette and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Place a cherry into each of eight 4-ounce ramekins, then fill the ramekins with the bread pudding mixture.
• Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
• For the brandy whipped cream: Whip the cream, brandy and granulated sugar until it holds stiff peaks. Serve the puddings topped with the cream.

KRIS KRINGLE BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Brush two 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowls with butter, and sprinkle with vanilla sugar; tap out excess. Bring Armagnac, dried fruit, and prunes to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fruit has softened and absorbed the liquid, about 10 minutes. Coarsely chop fruit.
• Bring cream, half and half, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, vanilla beans and seeds, and zest to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually ladle half the hot-cream mixture into the yolks. Pour yolk mixture into saucepan with remaining cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly and scraping sides of pan, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Pass custard through a fine sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In another large bowl, combine brioche cubes and chopped fruit, reserving 1/2 cup fruit. Pour in custard; toss to combine. Divide bread mixture between prepared bowls. Top each with half the reserved fruit. Sprinkle with vanilla sugar. Place a parchment round in water to dampen and transfer to top of pudding bowl to cover. Use a rubber band to secure, and tie with kitchen twine. Repeat process with second bowl. Let stand until bread has soaked up liquid, about 20 minutes.
• Set bowls in deep roasting pan. Transfer pan to oven; add enough boiling water to come 3 inches up sides of bowls. Bake 1 hour. Uncover; bake until set, about 30 minutes more. Serve warm or at room temperature, with sour lemon sauce. Puddings can be refrigerated up to 3 days; let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. If desired, reheat in a 350-degree oven, just until warm.

BOURBON-SOAKED CHERRY BREAD PUDDING WITH VANILLA GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cubed bread, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, melted butter and milk; mix thoroughly, then transfer to the prepared baking dish. Pour in the bourbon, and gently fold in the cherries.
• Place in the oven and bake until puffed and golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely.
• Pour the vanilla glaze over the bread pudding and serve.
• Place the confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the melted butter, vanilla and bourbon until completely combined and smooth. Taste for bourbon; add as needed.