Ella Brennan, who has been called the "queen of Creole cuisine," tasted her first bread pudding long ago. "It was my mother's," she says. "You never had anything like it."
These days, people say the same thing about the bread pudding at Brennan's famous Commander's Palace restaurant in New Orleans. "Our bread pudding soufflé outsells all of our other desserts by ten to one, maybe a hundred to one," she says. "We see people swoon over it."
Here's a new take on this hall-of-fame comfort dessert: a pumpkin bread pudding that is served cold, except for the sugar sprinkled on top and browned under the broiler just before the sensational dessert goes to the table.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir half and half and 3/4 cup sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove saucepan from heat; cool mixture to lukewarm.
Step 2
Spread butter over 1 side of each bread slice. Cut bread into 3/4-inch pieces. Divide among six 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups.
Step 3
Whisk pumpkin, yolks, egg, liqueur, vanilla, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl until blended. Add half and half mixture; whisk until smooth. Pour pumpkin custard over bread in dishes, dividing equally. Let stand 30 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place soufflé dishes in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of soufflé dishes; tent loosely with foil. Place roasting pan in oven. Bake puddings until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer puddings to rack and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 5
Preheat broiler. Spoon 1 tablespoon whipping cream over top of each pudding. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar over each. Broil puddings until tops are bubbly and golden brown, watching closely to avoid burning, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
