Sunday Brunch: Croissant Bread Pudding
It's Super Bowl Sunday, so I tried to come up with a Sunday Brunch recipe that would hold you until the big game starts just after 6 p.m. ET. Ina Garten's croissant bread pudding, adapted from her very first cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, is easy to make and insanely rich, so it will fill you up until kick-off. And you know what? This recipe is good enough to use whenever you have company coming over for brunch, whether it's Super Bowl Sunday or not.
(Note: This dish is also a terrific dessert to be served any time day or night.)
Croissant Bread Pudding
- serves 8 to 10 -
Ingredients
8 extra-large eggs
8 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 croissants, preferably stale
1 cup raisins
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, half-and-half, sugar and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside.
3. Slice the croissants in half, horizontally. In a 10-by-15-by-2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the croissants, then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.
4. Place the pan in a larger one filled with an inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set.
6. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.
View other entries from Sunday Brunch.
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8 Comments:
Holy crap. This recipe has confirmed what I knew all along. Paula Deen and Ina Garten are in cahoots and they are BOTH trying to kill us...
feriorrenna at 8:55AM on 02/01/09
holy crap indeed! nobody should start their day with a dish containing 16 egg yolks and 5 cups of half and half...let alone poured over buttery croissants!!! i'm all about indulgence, but this is ridiculous! i guess this is how ina keeps that girlish figure :)
annaliesenc at 10:19AM on 02/01/09
Well, in all fairness y'all, this recipe is for 8-10 servings... so that's 2 eggs and 1/2 a cup of half and half per person. Which still sounds a little over the top to me... Let's be honest. They are trying to kill us. Who would eat only one serving of this bread pudding? It sounds artery-cloggingly delicious.
prestocaro at 10:52AM on 02/01/09
I typed it into the calorie count recipe analyzer and it registered 596 calories per serving, with an assumption of ten servings. Hardly diet-friendly, but not as scary as I thought--portion control is definitely key, I guess.
HeartofGlass at 11:24AM on 02/01/09
Sounds great as an occasional indulgence. As long as you're not eating it daily (okay, or even weekly) and you eat a reasonable portion -- what's the big deal? Add a big fruit salad and it all balances out.
IndyGal at 12:10PM on 02/01/09
Oh man... this might be the dessert of choice for the next party! In fairness to calories, I have had a chocolate croissant bread pudding that had to have been at least 1000 calories.
mcanna at 6:38PM on 02/01/09
Yeah, this does seem to show a double standard: if Paula Deen had made this, you'd all be kvetching, but because it's the Contessa, then it's OK.
I mean, seriously? Croissants are plenty rich. If there's one recipe where you can afford to use milk, this is it.
piccola at 8:38PM on 02/01/09
This recipe has a mistake - there are only 3 whole eggs & 8 egg yolks in the cookbook. I had decided to halve the recipe so I made with 2 whole eggs & 4 egg yolks, had not quite 2 cups half&half so added whole milk for the balance to make 2-1/2 cups. I eventually used 5-1/2 croissants by just pushing the last ones in the liquid. This worked out fine & was really delicious. Have small portions & Enjoy!
doreend at 7:18AM on 03/03/09