1 Day-old baguette
1 c Fresh or frozen cranberries
6 tb Unsalted butter, melted
3 c Milk
6 Whole eggs
3/4 c Sugar
1 ts Vanilla
Custard Sauce (recipe
-follows) or whipped cream
Jasper’s Bread and Butter Pudding with Cranberries
Cut bread into three-inch sections. Square off sections by removing
crust. Slice each section lengthwise into 2 rectangular pieces no
more than 1/2 inch thick.
Scatter 2/3 c cranberries over bottom of lightly greased 7×11 inch
baking dish. Brush both sides of bread pieces with melted butter and
place over cranberries in neat rows. Arrange pieces to overlap
slightly, giving shingled effect.
Whisk milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla vigorously until smooth. Gently
pour mixture over bread and cranberries. Let stand 30 minutes,
occasionally pushing down on bread to absorb as much liquid as
possible.
Sprinkle remaining cranberries over top and bake at 325 degrees 30
minutes or until edges are set and wood pick inserted in center comes
out clean. If pudding top is not brown, remove pudding from oven and
place nder broiler to brown slightly. Watch carefully to prevent
scorching.
Let stand 15 minutes. Cut into squares, using rows of bread as a
guide. Serve with custard sauce or whipped cream. Makes 6 to 8
servings.
Custard Sauce:
1/2 vanilla bean 2 c milk 4 egg yolks 3/4 c sugar Split vanilla bean
lengthwise and scrape seeds into heavy saucepan. Add bean pod and
milk. Heat to just below boiling, then remove from heat. Cover and
let steep 20 minutes. Scrape bean again and add any scrapings to
pot. Discard bean pod.
Whisk together egg yolks and sugar and add warm milk gradually,
stirring often, until all milk is added. Return to pot and cook over
low heat until custard coats back of spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Strain
and chill. Makes 2 cups.
Yields
6 Servings