Orange Almond Bread Pudding

I suppose one of my mottos  is "You can't have too many Bread Pudding recipes." Not exactly words to live by, but it does make for some fabulous desserts. This recipe is from David Lebovitz and it should be in your archive as well as mine. It is light and rich, luxurious and elegant. At a recent dinner party, customarily dessert-cautious guests asked for seconds.

ORANGE ALMOND BREAD PUDDING

(8 to 10 servings)

Orange Custard

1. 2 cups milk
2. 2 cups heavy cream
3. Zest of 4 oranges, peeled or grated
4. 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top
5. 6 egg yoks
6. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
7. 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
8. 1 tablespoon orange li1ueur
9. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Almond Bread Pudding

1. 1 egg white at room temperature
2. 7 ounces almond paste
3. 1 loaf of firm white bread weighing about 1 pound, sliced and crusts removed

To make the orange custard: Warm together the milk, cream, orange zest, and sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep until the liquid has a good orange flavor, at least 1 hour.

Gently beat the egg yolks and whisk a small amount of the warm milk mixture into them. whisk in the remaining milk mixture, vanilla and almond extracts, orange liquer, and cinnamon. Strain the custard into a bowl and discard the orange zest. Refrigerate the custard until you assemble the pudding.

To assemble the pudding: Butter a 2-quart baking dish or souffle mold.

Beat together the egg white and the almond past until smooth. Spread a spoonful of almond paste over one side of each bread slice.

Layer the bread slices in the baking dish, almond paste side down. If you are using a round dish, first cut the slices of bread in half diagonally, into triangles, so you can make layers of triangles arranged in a pinwheel pattern. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread down gently, so the top layer will absorb the custard. For the bread to become completely saturated, cover and refigerate it for an hour or as long as overnight, pressing down the bread from time to time.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the top of the pudding very liberally with sugar, and bake in a water bath, until the bread pudding is puffed in the center and the top has a rich golden color, about 1 hour. Serve warm.

Variation: An extravagant variation is to make a creamy layer of chocolate at the bottom of the pudding. Put 8 to 12 ounces coarsely broken up bittersweet chocolate in the dish before layering the bread.

I tried this variation and it takes the pudding from wonderful to sublime.