Shaman

Brandy bread pudding with apples and spice

February 2nd, 2007 | by zentrix |

Cindy wanted me to use brandy as the dessert theme for the Spirited Cuisine series this week. Given the resurgence of old man winter in Pittsburgh, she seems to have made a good choice. So I decided to make an old favorite, and get it all drunk and soaked in brandy. I give you Brandy bread pudding, with apples and spices. Have a warm slice on a winter night.

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 slices of cinnamon raisin bread (you can use regular bread too)
• A glass of milk
• A glass of brandy (buy regulkar brandy; avoid the flavored kind)
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• Two large cardamom pods (the large cardamom variety has a smoky flavor and has a more subtle flavor)
• Three tablespoons of sugar
• Two eggs (I prefer to use eggbeaters)
• One apple, sliced into bite size pieces
• A cup of almonds, lightly toasted
• A pinch of clove powder

Start by tearing up the bread into small pieces and place the pieces in an 8×9 greased baking pan.

Add the cup of almonds to the food processor

Pulse the almonds till they turn into a coarse powder.

Blend the almond powder with the bread.

In a skillet, add the butter along with the large cardamom pods split open.

Clarify the butter and pour the clarified butter on top of the bread pieces, along with the cardamom. Let the bread pieces soak up the clarified butter and cool down.

Spritz half a glass of brandy on top of the bread pieces, ensuring that most of the bread gets a whiff, er.. soaking of the brandy

Gently mix the milk,

two tablespoons of sugar and the eggs and blend them till the mixture is smooth and frothy.

Gently add the blended mixture to the bread pieces along with the apple slices and make sure that the bread soaks up the mixture.

In a pre-heated oven set at 325 F, bake the pudding for about 50 minutes.

Carefully add the remaining brandy on top of the pudding and sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar too. Continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until the pudding rises and the crust begins to turn brown.

Remove from the oven and let the pudding settle for about 30 minutes.

Serve a warm slice

Or serve with a dash of milk.

Or whip up some cream and serve with cream and a pinch of clove powder.

If you refrigerate the pudding, make sure that you warm it before serving it again. It brings out the flavor to the fullest.