Ruthie's Bread and Butter Pudding

[locks]

I just read Nora Ephron's last book "I Remember Nothing". Funny as always but poignant too. She writes again about Christmas dinner with her friends as she did in "Heartburn" her book about her divorce from Bernstein which was a hit Broadway play. Her close friend Ruthie has died that year (2011) and she tries to make Ruthie's beloved bread pudding for their friends. My favorite dessert after creme brulee.

Ruthie's Bread and Butter Pudding

5 large eggs
4 egg yolks
l C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 quart whole milk
1 C heavy cream
l tsp vanilla
12 1/2 in. slices brioche, crusts removed, buttered on one side

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Gently beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended. Scald the milk and cream in a saucepan over high heat; do not boil. When you tip the pan and the mixture spits or makes a sizzling noise, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Stir gently, don't beat, into the egg mixture until blended.
Overlap the bread, butter side up, in the baking dish and pour the egg mixture over the bread. Set in a large pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the dish. Bake for about 45 min. or the bread is golden brown and a sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Bread should be golden and pudding puffed up. Before serving, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and place under broiler for 1-2 min. (or use creme brulee torch). Serve with heavy cream or whipped cream.

[Lucinda]

1. I've never had it!~ Thanks for the recipe!

[auntAgonist]

2. This sounds delicious. I bet it would be nice with raisins or chopped apples added (?) thanks!!

[Laurian]

3. Bookmarked! Will definitely try this,

but I need to wait for an occasion that involves more than the two of us.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

4. Try soaking the bread in the egg mixture for half an hour

It's the same principle as soaking French toast (or German toast as the French call it, or Polish toast as the Germans call it, or Russian toast as the Poles call it).

That way, you get more of the flavor in the bread, and you do not have to cut off the crusts.

Yes, raisins go very well in bread pudding, or try dried blueberries.

I like to serve chantilly cream with bread pudding. Chantilly cream is

1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Combine the ingredients and whip to soft peaks. I suppose it could be done with a balloon whisk, but I always use my KitchenAid® stand mixer.

[A HERETIC I AM]

5. Yum, yummer, yummest!

LOVE Bread Pudding.

I tried to do a Christmas themed one years ago. I had strawberries and blueberries and I tried to arrange the bread and the berries so when sliced, it would look like a Christmas tree!.

It failed miserably, but it was still tasty!

[eppur_se_muova]

6. This recipe reminds me of "sinful bread" served at the Herlong Mansion B&B ...

unfortunately, they no longer post their recipes. They made individual servings in custard cups/ramekins.