Shelly's Recipe

APPLE CRISP BREAD PUDDING

Category: Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding:

1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup apple brandy
2 Fuji apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 large eggs
3 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
14 Old Fashioned Cake Donuts

Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Apple Brandy Sauce, recipe follows
Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Spiced Cream, recipe follows, optional
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the cups of 2 large muffin pans. (You will need 12 muffin cups.) Set aside.

Gently simmer the raisins and brandy in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and set aside. Peel, core and cut the apples into 1-inch chunks. Add them to a small bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Set aside.

In large bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, and melted butter until combined. Cut the donuts into 1-inch pieces. Add the donuts to the bowl with the egg mixture. Press the donuts down into the liquid to cover completely and let soak for 15 minutes while you prepare the crumb topping.

To make the crumb topping. Add the flour, brown sugar, salt, oats, and butter to a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, on medium-low speed, beat the mixture until crumbly. Set aside.

Stir the apples and the raisins with the brandy into the soaked donuts. (Make sure the donuts have soaked up most of the liquid before adding the apples.) Evenly divide the custard among the muffin cups. Sprinkle each custard with the crumb topping. Put the muffin pans on foil-lined baking sheets and bake until the pudding has turned golden and is set, about 35 minutes. Remove the puddings from the oven and allow them to cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

To serve: Spoon the Apple Brandy Sauce on dessert plates and arrange each pudding on the sauce. Lightly dust with confectioners sugar. Garnish each pudding with a dollop of Spiced Cream, if using, and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately. Serves 12

Apple Brandy Sauce:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup apple brandy
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Pinch salt

In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sugar and stir until combined. Whisk in the heavy cream, brandy, egg yolks and salt. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Do not let the sauce come to a boil. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm with the Apple Crisp Bread Pudding.

Spiced Cream:

1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat to desired stiffness.