Wednesday, August 13, 2008

It's pudding time!

I wonder, would Martha approve of using so much dairy? Actually, I take that back. She probably milks her own cows.

This is my comfort food!

Bread Pudding

-10 slices of bread, cut into cubes (Most types of bread work - I learned the hard way that baguettes don't work very well)
-1/4 c melted butter
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 c raisins (I sometimes use Craisins because we always have them lying around)
-6 eggs, beaten
-3/4 c sugar
-2 tsp vanilla
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 cups of milk
-nutmeg

Whisk the cinnamon into the melted butter, then toss in a bowl with the bread and raisins, pour into a casserole dish. It's like a bread marinade!

"Scald" the milk over the stovetop - basically, bring the milk to an almost boil (it start to look a little foamy on top), and stir it a lot because milk can burn easily. Set aside to cool.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together. When the milk is cooled, whisk it into the egg mixture. If the milk is too hot, it will scramble the eggs. Once that is all mixed together, pour it over the bread.

Sprinkle some nutmeg over the whole thing, then bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. If your bread is sort of floating at the top of the dish, let it soak in the custard for a few minutes first. Otherwise, you get sort of crusty dried-out bread floating on top. (Lesson learned!)

Old-fashioned Rice Pudding

Note: you can make this thick or thin, however you prefer - my mom and husband like it thin, but I like more of a pudding texture. The recipe is for a thinner pudding - to thicken it, just cut out a cup of the half and half.

-3/4 c raisins
-2 tbsp dark rum
-3/4 c white rice
-1/2 tsp salt
-5c fat-free half and half (my attempt to be healthy - you can also substitute a cup of milk to thin it out)
-1/2 c sugar
-1 egg, beaten
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Soak the raisins in the rum.

Boil the rice in 1 1/2 cups of salted water for about 10 minutes.

One cup at a time, stir the half-and-half into the rice, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Carefully mix in the egg (no scrambling!). Remove from heat. Add the vanilla and raisins.

Pour the mix into a bowl to cool. To avoid getting a skin on the surface, just cover it directly (like, on the actual pudding) with plastic wrap!

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