PAIN DE LAIT DE POULE
Any leftover bread will do when making bread pudding, but my Pain de Lait de Poule (or, ‘Eggnog Bread’) is not just any bread pudding as it is a richly dense and boozy fruit & nut bread made from three requisite types of pain: A fresh loaf of Challah, several days old French baguette and a half loaf of white sandwich bread. Submersed in a custard made from eggnog (of course)—vanilla eggnog (betcha didn’t know that, tho), brown sugar, toasted almonds and enough cinnamon to send your Christmas senses into holiday overtime. I did say ‘boozy,’ however, and I deliver with a generous splotch of Jameson whiskey; bringing libatious spirit to dried apricots. I almost never do the standard baking dish as I prefer cake molds, or, over-sized muffin pans for individual servings. My favorite way of serving this carby confection is in a moat of heavy cream whilst still steamy and warm.
PREP/BAKE TIME: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Makes 8 – 12 Servings
INGREDIENTS
1 Loaf – Challah Bread
½ Loaf – Stale French Baguette
½ Loaf – Sliced White Bread
2 Cups – Vanilla Eggnog (Non – Alcoholic)
6 Large Eggs
¾ Cup – Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tsp – Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Tb – Ground Cinnamon
¼ Tsp – Ground Nutmeg
1 (2.25 Oz) Bag – Diamond of California® Sliced Almonds
1 (6 Oz) Bag – Dried Apricots
1 Cup – Jameson® Irish Whiskey
2 Tb – Unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
THE NITTY GRITTY
To soak apricots, there are two methods I go by:
1) Submerging apricots in whiskey for 24 hours in a small glass or ceramic bowl covered with cling-film and set aside in a cool dry spot in the kitchen, or …
2) Adding apricots and whiskey to a small saucepan and bringing to a simmer at low heat till apricots are plump and alcohol is reduced by more than half; allowing them to cool to room temp till ready to use.
You know your own threshold of patience; either means will suffice.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 10” x 2 ½” Bundt mold, or 9” x 13” baking pan/dish, with butter liberally and set aside.
Cut or tear breads roughly into bite-size pieces and add to a large mixing bowl – giving a toss to combine.
In another mixing bowl, add egg nog, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg; whisk till fully blended. Add whiskey soaked apricots to custard, along with any residual alcohol, and stir to combine. Lastly, add sliced almonds, but don’t stir.
Pour custard over breads; with clean hands, get right in there and combine till every bit of bread is saturated and absorbed by the eggy mixture.
Transfer ingredients immediately to Bundt mold; pressing down firmly till flush with rim of mold.
Bake for 35 – 45 minutes or till top of pudding is springy to the touch.
Let pudding cool for 15 minutes on a wired rack before removing from mold. Transfer pudding to a cake plate or sizable dish.
Serve warm, or at room temp, with heavy cream or ice cream and enjoy.
NOTE: When serving warm, I more often than not throw a slice on a plate, cover it loosely with cling-film and nuke it for 15 - 30 seconds. This has to do more with some guests preferring their pudding at room temp than heated through.
DECEMBER 16, 2019
