The weather here has taken quite a turn. Just a few days ago the sun was scorching hot and shining through cloudless skies, but now it’s back to that dull, rainy, fall-like weather that is so familiar here in Vancouver. As much as I wish the sun would pop out (I’m camping this weekend! Sunshine, please!) I do appreciate the bit of rain. The city needed some cooling down and today’s grumbly weather matches my equally grumbly mood.
It’s been a bit of a downer of a week for me personally, which is bound to happen every once-in-a-while. Thankfully, though, I know exactly how to perk myself up, and it usually involves some baking and a warm, cozy dessert.
Oh my. If I had to describe this dessert in a single word it would be: heavenly. Bread pudding on it’s own is fantastic and oh-so comforting, but throw in some vanilla beans and top with a sticky caramel rum sauce? Oh my. Like I said, heavenly.
This is probably more of a fall recipe, but I’ve never really based my cooking according to the weather. I generally follow what my mood is for the day, and sometimes that mood calls for turning on the oven and baking a sweet, cozy, warm-hearted dessert, slipping into some PJ’s and eating a whole bowl of said dessert while binge watching some Netflix.
If you’re on some kind of summer diet I suggest you stop reading right about here. I fully admit that this is not the most healthy thing one could be consuming, maybe because it’s loaded with bread (croissants, no less), butter, sugar, and eggs. But really, what good would a bread pudding be if I left this stuff out? No good, I tell you. This dessert? So worth it.
The sauce though (courtesy of Bobby Flay) is what really shines here. It is oh-my-goodness amazing and oh-so simple to make. I could eat it on absolutely anything, like maybe pancakes, waffles, baked apples (or any fruit, really – I added fresh strawberries to this dish last night and it was divine), ice cream… I could go on and on but I’ll stop because I’m actually salivating just thinking about it.
You could use any bread you have, but I really think bread pudding is best with croissants, brioche, sourdough or challah since they’re so light and fluffy and are perfect for soaking up all the filling and sauce without getting soggy.
I really need to start halving these recipes when I make them for the blog, because having an entire pan of things like this sitting in my house is just way too tempting. But you know what? I’ll do extra time at the gym to make up for it because this stuff is too delicious to pass up! Especially on a rainy, grumbly day like today.
| Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding with a Caramel Rum Sauce | Print |
- Pudding:
- 2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (or 2 whole vanilla beans)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups torn/cubed croissants (about 5 croissants)
- .
- Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp butter (1/4 stick)
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp dark rum
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 350°. Liberally grease an 8-inch square baking dish; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together vanilla paste and sugar until well mixed and fluffy. Add in milk, eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well blended.
- Stir in bread pieces, then pour mixture into baking dish. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes before serving.
- While bread is cooling, make sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over high heat. Add brown sugar and rum and cook, whisking until the sugar has melted and the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the cream and cook until slightly thickened. Serve warm over bread pudding.
Do you have anymore dessert sauces with alcohol- fruit based dessert sauces?