Tuesday, April 21, 2009

TWD: Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding



Lucky me. I chose the hottest day of the year to make bread pudding. The outside temperature was in the mid 90s today; the inside temperature, downstairs, is still in the mid 80s at 10 pm. I needed some room temperature butter for some cookies, but after an hour on the kitchen counter, it was melting. Did I really want to turn the oven on?

Nope.

But I did.


This week's Dorie delight was Four Star Chocolate Bread Pudding, brought to us by
Lauren of Upper East Side Chronicle . It received a thumbs up from both of us.


For the bread part, I used some brioche that I found at Trader Joe's. I added a handful of dried sour cherries to complement the chocolate.
And, as usual, I combined the egg-sugar-milk mixture altogether, cooking until it reached the right temperature for a custard. I only made half a recipe, just the right amount for two people.

Brioche and dried cherries; chocolate custard:





Brioche soaking in chocolate custard:



I know we could have fancied it up a bit when served, but in this heat, any movement takes quite a bit of effort, so we just ate it plain. Maybe tomorrow will be cooler and we can play with some toppings.



Don't forget to take a look at the efforts of the other
TWD bakers today.


Looks like we'll be having thirds for a pre-bedtime snack.

14 comments:

Lauren said...

looks great! I used cherries, too.

Hindy said...

You were brave, making it in the heat. Up here in the frozen north, we're still gobbling bread to keep warm. I'm glad it turned out for you!

chocolatechic said...

Wondering where you are that it is so hot.

It is only 49ยบ here.

Megan said...

I hear you with the heat - it was 92 yesterday and will be 94 today. I'm not ready for these temps yet!

Kayte said...

Oh, the sound of that lovely warm temperature...cold and rainy here today, I have a fire in the fireplace! Your chocolate bread pudding turned out just wonderful...it looks great, and any time people are going back for thirds, it is a winner! Kudos to you!

Anonymous said...

Yes, it has been hot. Hopefully it was a success for you.

Engineer Baker said...

Mmm... brioche and tart cherries - perfect way to amp this up. Oh, and can we split the difference on temperatures? It's 40 degrees here :(

Unknown said...

Glad you liked it! I'm impressed that you baked in such hot weather. It's dreary and cool here so I'm a bit jealous of your weather.

Anonymous said...

You're very dedicated to bake when it's so hot. Sounds kind of nice, though - we had snow this morning!

The Food Librarian said...

Man, was it hot or what?! I think the ozone layer is completely depleted at my work and I started to burn when I went outside! Anyway, your pudding looks wonderful!! Chocolately and brioche. Yum!

NKP said...

It's chilly here,
what a brave TWDer you are to fire up the oven for the cause!
Brioche is perfect!

TeaLady said...

Hard to bake when it is hot outside. Summer is coming to the deep south too, Better keep the electric bill paid up.

That bread pudding looks awesome. Who needs topping when it looks that good.

Men may get better looking, but we women get smarter..... Thanks for coming by.

Lauren said...

How can I thank you enough for baking along with me and turning on your oven. I wish the temperature was higher in NYC.....I'm so cold. :-)

Eva said...

i'm impressed with your dedication. we had a hot weekend like that and all i did was lie on the couch. definitely no baking for me in that heat. don't bother prettying it up. that means you don't get to eat it as soon!