Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with Rummy Raisins
I didn’t actually make this today-what I did make was somewhere in the vicinity of 400 desserts for a private event, but I’ll tell you about that later. What I do want to tell you about is a wonderful pumpkin bread pudding I made earlier this year, far before the onset of pumpkin season, for a little article in a small magazine. It was a story about some of my favourite food bloggers with kids, including Aimée Bourque of Under the High Chair, and because it was for a fall issue, I requested something seasonal from her. She sent me the recipe for her Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with Rummy Raisins.
What does this all have to do with today? Well, today I got a very sweet email from Aimée, politely pointing out that the baking instructions were missing from the recipe. Which should have been caught by the editors, but ultimately looks like my fault-I was doing all this while we were in Tofino on my old craptop, and this looks like a case of two different drafts on two different computers. In any case, I feel badly that the baking instructions were left out; although no one has emailed to point out the error -some may have figured out how to actually bake their bread pud and realized it’s not a weird form of soggy unbaked bread pudding sashimi she served her kids- here is the complete recipe.
I left out the tonka bean, thinking it’s something not many if you would have on hand. Being at the cabin I had access to only shakeable cinnamon (and no spice grinder) and it worked just fine-I skipped the allspice and the rum, and used a whack of leftover bread ends we had around-including raisin bread, which fit right in. Of course you don’t need to go buy brioche especially to make this (and if you do, please don’t just let it sit and go stale! Eat some while it’s fresh) but it is wonderful in a bread pud.
Thanks Aimée! And sorry.
Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding with Rummy Raisins
thanks to Aimée Bourque of Under the High Chair for this recipe!
Unsalted butter, room temperature, for ramekins
½ cup sugar, for dissolving
1 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup rum
1/3 cup hot water
1 1/12 cups firm pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ inch fresh cinnamon stick
Three whole allspice
½ tonka bean (optional)
Pinch of salt
One 12-ounce, day-old loaf brioche cut into 3/4-inch cubes (or desired size)
Whipping cream, for servingPreheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 10-ounce ramekins or custard cups.
In a small, heavy bottomed pot, carefully dissolve 1/2 cup sugar and cook until golden, stirring occasionally. Divide evenly among ramekins to coat the bottom and allow to cool.
Place raisins in a small bowl, and cover with rum and the hot water; let soak until plump, about 20 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Combine cinnamon stick, whole allspice and tonka bean in a spice grinder and grind until fine.
In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, granulated sugar, milk, ginger, vanilla, spice mix, and salt. Toss in the bread cubes, and stir gently to evenly coat; let stand a few minutes.
Fold in the raisins. Divide among prepared dishes, pressing down slightly to make level. Bake until custard is set in the center and top is golden, about 40 minutes. If bread browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Remove from oven and run a sharp knife around the edges; let cool slightly. To serve, un-mold onto plates; serve with sweetened whipped cream. It is entirely up to you if you wish to spike the cream or not!
One Year Ago: Grilled Cheese with Pulled Beef Short Ribs
October 22 2009 11:36 am | leftovers
Lana in South Mountain (ON) on 23 Oct 2009 at 8:53 am #
Mmmm..that looks goooood. Last night I made a pumpkin marble cheesecake for the girls weekend I am heading to after work today, and it smelled up the house so beautifully. I bet the bread pudding does the same. I love Fall!
clea on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:00 am #
Hi Julie,
I love your blog ever so much. I read it every day. I just had to tell you about some chocolate cupcakes I made last night. I got the recipe from Conversations with a Cupcake – that I found through your list of blogs – and it is literally the most amazing chocolate cupcake I have ever had. This is where I found it: http://www.tongue-n-cheeky.com/search/label/Cupcakes and they are called Perfect Party Cupcakes. Thanks for your amazing recipes and hooking us up with all the other great food bloggers out there!
Vivian on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:09 am #
Okay, I’ll bite. What is a tonka bean? I know I could google it but I thought there might be other curious people out there that want to know as well. Nice looking bread pudding, beautifully shot as usual.
Vivian on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:10 am #
Heck, I guess I could have just clicked on the word! Duh, sorry.
Dana McCauley on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:51 am #
Although I’m not a big bread pudding fan, I think I could eat more than my fair share of this concoction!
JulieVR on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:53 am #
I’m not a big pumpkin fan! But I devoured this stuff. Even in the height of summer, beside the ocean. It managed to work.
Dana McCauley on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:53 am #
FYI – good think you left out the tonka bean. Last time I heard it was banned as a food substance and only used in the perfume industry.
JulieVR on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:58 am #
Yes, I had heard that too – I’m not sure if it’s not approved in Canada or only in the US – anyway, I didn’t want to suggest Aimee was using unsafe food products! It seems to be very popular among chefs in Montreal, which is where she lives.
Barb on 23 Oct 2009 at 11:25 am #
I love pumpkin and will think about trying this soon. I’m not sure if this has been bought up yet or not but I love the “you might also like” section you have included a the bottom of your page. A nice reminder of things we have seen but maybe forgotten about.
Jill on 23 Oct 2009 at 1:55 pm #
This is an interesting recipe…it is the perfect recipe for the holidays.
Aimee on 23 Oct 2009 at 2:20 pm #
Tonka Bean is not banned in Canada! Good thing too, because I would have to join some kind of underground smuggling ring just to get it. Honestly, it’s absolutely magical stuff. I use it in creme brulé, cakes,cookie, jams, muffins, well, pretty much anything, really.
Lauren on 23 Oct 2009 at 3:49 pm #
This sounds fantastic! I love the flavours in the pudding =D.
supersu on 23 Oct 2009 at 6:23 pm #
i am salivating! this sounds grand.
thanks for the blog-read it everyday
su
Mary-Louise on 23 Oct 2009 at 10:27 pm #
Julie, I read you every day, but this is my first “comment”. I love bread pudding and pumpkin. I grew my own pumpkins this year and am looking for ways to use up the puree. This sounds amazing. Thanks.