Bread Pudding

It wasn't until I was an adult that I found out that chocolate bread pudding was not the kind of bread pudding people usual eat.  Growing up my mother only made chocolate bread pudding, always served warm.  I never saw, or heard of, any other kind.  Image my surprise when dining out, in my early twenties, I came across a pale so-called bread pudding with, oh no,  raisins and rum sauce.  This was not a good thing. Sacrilegious!

It seemed that I was the one who was mistaken in thinking that the chocolate version was the only way to go. No one I talked to had ever had it. The "real" bread pudding was this other sort which I now had in front of me.

I tried it. I did not get that cozy feeling the warm chocolatey spoonfulls always gave me.  Not  from that blonde lump with the alien raisins and rum sauce.  No thank you! I will stick to my dark friendly version.

I think this distain for any other dessert bread pudding comes from the fact that my parents were both from New York City and this other kind of bread pudding is a southern style which I was not exposed to. Still, how can it compare to the dense chocolate bliss I love.

Through the years  I have encountered  many different recipes for both sweet and savory bread puddings. Some made with Italian bread, brioche, or croissants. Some flavored with eggnog, coconut milk, apple cider or brandy. There are recipes that use apples, bananas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, butternut squash, even crab meat. I have to admit that some of the savory ones sound delicious to me and I think I'd like try some of them.

But, when it comes to a dessert bread pudding I draw the line. It'll have to be chocolate bread pudding for me.
So here is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
4  eggs separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1  loaf white bread, crusts trimmed, or 1 pound loaf brioche

Procedure

1.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
2.  Cut bread slices or brioche slices into quarters,
3.  Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. I used my souffle dish.  Arrange the bread pieces  evenly throughout the dish.
4.  Whisk the milk, egg yolks, and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate and heat  stirring until the chocolate melts. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from heat.
5. Whip egg whites until they form soft peaks.
6. Add a little of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate custard to temper then slowly add the rest, folding in gently to combine.
7. Slowly pour the chocolate custard over bread, making sure all the bread is soaked.
8. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pudding and press down lightly to soak bread thoroughly. This can be messy if the dish is very full. Remove the plastic. At this point you may have to clean up any spills around the dish with a damp towel.
9. Allow to rest  for 15 minutes. Just to make sure all the bread is nice and wet.
10. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes.

So delicious. Get the whipped cream ready!