Vanilla Bread Pudding

 Vanilla Bread Pudding

I love bread pudding.  I guess you could say I’m a custard kind of girl. I love anything with custard and I usually have to make extra because I can’t stay out of it when I am making a recipe that calls for it.  There is something about bread pudding that makes you remember it every single time you have it.  This particular bread pudding is just like that.  It is so decadent that people will go on and on about it for weeks.

Vanilla Bread Pudding

1 (12-ounce) brioche loaf

3 extra-large whole eggs 

8 extra-large egg yolks 

4 cups half-and-half 

1 cup whole milk 

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting 

vanilla ice cream, such as Haagen-Dazs, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cut five 3/4-inch-thick slices of brioche and place them in one layer on a sheet pan. 

 

 

Trim some of the crusts from the remaining brioche and cut in 1-inch dice. Spread out on a second sheet pan. Put both pans in the oven for 5 minutes, to lightly toast the bread. 

 

Meanwhile, for the custard, whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, half-and-half, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and vanilla seeds in a large bowl, and set aside. 

 

  

Lay the whole slices in a 10 x 12 x 2-inch rectangular baking dish. If you have to cut a couple to make them fit, that’s okay.  Spread the diced brioche on top. 

 

Pour on the custard and press lightly so all the bread is soaked with custard. Set aside for 10 minutes. 

 

Place the dish in a slightly larger roasting. Pour about 1 inch of the hottest tap water into the roasting pan, being sure not to get any water into the custard. 

Cover the entire roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil, making sure the foil so it doesn't touch the top of the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. 

 

Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the custard is set and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm, drizzled with melted ice cream. 

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Bee Sting Cake

When I was little I used to watch my Mom make a Bee Sting Cake. She would make a feather light cake dough and then fill it with vanilla cream custard and top it with almonds that had been cooked in brown sugar and honey. Oh My gosh it was good. But even then, I remember thinking it was too much work with all that kneading and punching and waiting. I found that old recipe this past weekend and it sounded as hard I as remember it looked. So I decided to make a few changes to make it easier and the results are what you see here. I call it the modern day Bee Sting Cake and I made a basic yellow cake, a creamy custard and topped it with a walnut topping instead. One of the best cakes I've ever made. This thing is as delicious as it looks and I can't get enough of it. It's going to the freezer today so I can stop eating it! 

Bee Sting Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large eggs

Topping                                                                          

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick, 3 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) sugar
3 tablespoons (2 ounces) honey
2 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) heavy cream
2 `1/2 cups chopped walnuts
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add the sugar, honey and cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil it for 3 to 5 minutes, until it’s taken on a very light gold color. Stir in the walnuts, let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 8-inch cake pan. Then line with parchment paper and leave an overhang to lift cake later. In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter, milk and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides of bowl. Add egg, beat for 3 more minutes. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Spread topping over cake batter and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Lift cake with parchment paper and allow to cool thoroughly on wire rack.

Custard

4 Egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup sugar

Heat up the milk, the sugar and salt.. Bring it to a simmer and let the sugar dissolve over medium heat. Whisk the cornstarch and egg yolks until creamy.

Slowly add in the hot milk mixture with the egg yolks to temper them. Do not add too much hot milk into the eggs at the same time, it can curdle the eggs. Bring the egg and milk mixture to a slow boil while stirring constantly. When thickened remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and make sure it touches the top of the custard and refrigerate it.

To assemble cake. Once cake is cooled, use a long serrated knife and cut cake in half horizontally to make two layers. Cover bottom layer with filling and place top of cake back on. Refrigerate before serving. 

TIP: Freeze the cake until you are going to serve it. If you slice it while it is frozen it won’t squish all the cream out. Then just let it sit for about half an hour before

Caramelized Onion and Cheese Tart

 Caramelized Onion and Cheese Tart

  

This is so good.  I always serve it as an appetizer during the holidays.  Why?  Because if you blink twice and the tray is empty. It is a big show stopper!  Puff pastry topped with a rich and creamy sauce, crisp bacon, tender cooked onions, and two kinds of cheese on top.  I always make more than one tart and leave them to warm in the oven to keep the plate full at all times.  Simply delicious!

Caramelized Onion and Cheese Tart

Caramelizing the Onions

 1 large sweet onion, Vidalia or sweet yellow onions, sliced thin

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

a few sprigs fresh thyme leaves

1-2 tablespoons beef broth

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled for topping (optional)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large skillet on low-medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add the sliced onions. Cook the onions until they turn a golden brown, stirring often. This will take about 40-45 minutes.  Add a little of the beef broth to keep them moist and scrape up the bits on the bottom of the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the onions are caramelized to a dark golden color, add the onion salt and garlic powder and brown sugar. Stir and cook for about 2 more minutes.  Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. If using bacon, add the cooked chopped bacon to your onions now.

Next, prepare your puff pastry dough.

 

Puffed Pastry Dough

I box (2 sheets) Puffed Pastry

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup of shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Line a Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unroll a sheet of puffed pastry dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Gently roll out the puff pastry so that it is a little longer and wider, about 2 inches longer and an inch wider. (Puff pastry is already rolled, but you want it just a little bit thinner.) Brush the entire top with olive oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 1 inch inside the pastry dough, score the edges all the way around (basically making a square inside the dough). I used a knife to do this, but be careful not to cut all the way through the dough. Scoring the dough will allow an edge 'crust' to puff up. You can also simply roll an edge along the sides of the dough and score along the inside edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese all over the inside of the edges. With a fork, pierce the pastry inside your frame several times.  Do not pierce the edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake the puff pastry in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until it puffs up, and the pastry and cheese are golden brown.  It might get quite puffy in the middle, no worries. You can flatten that down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove the pastry from the oven, deflate the center a little bit by piercing it with a fork. 

 

Filling

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

In a small bowl mix the mayo and egg yolk until well combined.  Add the onion salt, black pepper and and garlic powder and stir. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Mix until smooth and creamy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gently spread the mixture in the middle of the partially baked pastry staying inside your edges. If the center is too puffy, flatten it a little with your hand before spreading the filling on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, scoop the onion mixture inside the square in the middle of the puff pastry sheet, spreading it out evenly on top of the filling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkle on the shredded Swiss or Gruyere making sure to cover your caramelized onions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the pastry with the heavy cream. Bake for 23-24 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the pastry puffs up and is golden brown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from oven, to a cutting board and cut into squares. Arrange on a serving platter. Top each slice with cooked bacon if desired.  Serve immediately and enjoy!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hints

• Puff Pastry: Take the time to thaw your puff pastry in the fridge, overnight. Open it into a flat piece of dough first. Since you are opening two sheets, go ahead and make two tarts. Keep the puff pastry refrigerated until ready to use. The chilled pastry creates a flaky result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

• Make sure to prick the pastry to prevent from bubbling. 
• You may not use all your onions, depending on the size of your   onion.  Save for later or make a second tart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

          I use Vidalia onions when they are available. Otherwise, I use Sweet Yellow Onions. Slice these up into thin, even pieces so that that they cook together at the same time. 

     Olive Oil: I used regular olive oil and butter to cook the onions in. 

 

 

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Brown Sugar: This is not only delicious but necessary to get that  caramelized glaze on the onions.  

 
 Gruyere Cheese: If you don’t have this cheese then you can use Swiss, Sharp white Chedder or even Mozzarella instead 

 
Heavy Cream: This is what you will use to get that golden brown edge on the puff pastry! 

 
Cooking onions: Cooking the onions low and slow is best for bringing out the sweetness. Be patient! Allow the onions to cool for about 10 minutes before assembling.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.