It’s always fun to modify a recipe to “match” a holiday! A SUPER SIMPLE way to make this Bread Pudding recipe (from my cookbook Gumbo Love) more festive for the 4th of July weekend is to add strawberries to the garnish. Let me know if you make the recipe. I’d love to hear how it goes. Wishing everyone a sweet, safe and happy holiday! Love, LuLu
Serves 8
PUDDING
1 ½ teaspoons unsalted butter
7 cups cubed stale bread of your choice (I like to use brioche or French bread, and if I’m feeling terribly decadent and they are available, I use almond croissants)
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup slivered or sliced unsalted almonds
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
TOPPING
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons (half stick) unsalted butter, chopped into cubes
1/4 cup finally chopped salted almonds
GARNISH
½ cup Lucy’s favorite salted caramel sauce (*see below)
Fresh whipped cream
Fresh blueberries
Fresh strawberries
To make the pudding:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 in. square baking pan with the butter.
2. Place 1/3 of the bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Add half the blueberries and half the almonds. Top with another third of the bread cubes. Add the remaining blueberries and almonds. Top with the remaining bread cubes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and blueberry mixture in the pan, making sure the bread is completely covered by the milk mixture.
To make the topping:
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and brown sugar. Cut the butter into the flour and brown sugar with a pastry blender or fork until coarse crumbs form.
5. Stir in the almonds. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the bread pudding.
6. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the bread pudding is golden brown and cooked through.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the top and serve with fresh whipped cream and blueberries and strawberries.
Note: the bread pudding can be made a day in advance and stored, cupboard in the refrigerator. Just reheat the pudding and add the salted caramel sauce fresh whipped cream, and berries before serving. Almonds.Almonds
Lucy’s Favorite Salted Caramel Sauce
Make 2 cups
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, chopped into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream at room temperature
2 teaspoons sea salt
1. In a small sauce pan, melt the sugar over medium–high heat, whisking continuously. Keep a close eye on the sugar as it melts, swirling the pan occasionally.
2. When the sugar has completely melted and turned an amber color, carefully add the butter a few pieces at a time, whisking continuously. It will bubble up, but just keep whisking until the butter has melted.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and while whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the cream. The caramel is going to bubble aggressively again so be careful but stay firm with it.
4. Whisk until all the creamers combined and then whisk in the salt.
5. Set the sauce aside to cool for 15 minutes, then pour it into a glass jar to cool completely.
6. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to two weeks, but you will have to warm it before serving.
