Passionate About Pumpkin

Pumpkins and I go way back. We are not a once-a-year, pumpkin-pie-on-Thanksgiving kind of family. Every year for my dad's birthday, we don't sing to him over a store-bought sheet cake with Crisco-frosting (nothing wrong with that though.....just ask my mom, a self-proclaimed frosting aficionado). No no, we celebrate with a pumpkin pie. Every time I have a slice, I think about my father and celebrations and it always brings up great memories for me. I also always think about Sukkos, when my dad decorates our sukkah with gourds of all shapes and sizes, hanging little pumpkins and squash-like vegetables from the schach beams, and piles even more of the big ones up in the corners for some added autumn rustic flair.

I love the complexity of pumpkin. Pumpkin pie is a given, but think of all the other amazing things you can make with it: add some chocolate chips and make pumpkin-chocolate-chip bread; add it to a spice cake mix and have pumpkin spice cake; stuff it into pasta for a savory ravioli; thin it out and pour it over fettucini for a great pasta sauce. The possibilities are endless.

I've been missing my pumpkin a lot over the last year. I'm not sure if you're all aware, but there was a national pumpkin shortage since last fall, thanks to too much rain and not enough sun in some of the prime pumpkin growing areas in the midwest. You can read more about it here. As with all things, I can go months without wanting pumpkin normally, but the second I can't have it, I want it all the time!!

Ever since my apple bread pudding post a couple weeks ago, I've had bread pudding on the mind. And with Sukkos desserts that needed to be made, and my dad's birthday just around the corner, I wanted to see what I could do with pumpkin bread pudding. I went to my grocery store, ready to buy pre-mixed pumpkin pie filling (which has been available all year - it was just the plain canned pumpkin that's been unavailable), when - lo and behold! - pumpkin is back on the shelves and ready for the fall! So I played around in my kitchen and this is what I came up with - a great pumpkin-spice flavor with a crunchy praline topping and cinnamon-y accompaniments. It kind of tastes like your favorite pumpkin pie got smashed up with French Toast. So perfect for cool nights outside in the sukkah with good friends and family (...or, in our case, very hot nights in the sukkah!)!

Cook's note: There are two things that I did in my first version that I would change a little bit. First of all, I only let my pumpkin custard soak into the bread for about 10 minutes. In the recipe, I indicate that it should soak in for 30, which I think will make the bread moister and break down some of the bread cubes a bit more than my finished version did. Because of the pumpkin, the custard is thicker and I was using a denser French bread (instead of Challah), so the extra time would have helped. Also, I tasted the pumpkin in it, but it wasn't in your face. For some people, that may be preferable, in which case, stick to the recipe below. But for a true pumpkin lover, I'd up the pumpkin to about 22 oz. (1 1/2 small cans or 3/4 of a large can) and I'd decrease the milk to 3 1/2 cups.

 (Sorry - my test version burned a little bit! See my note to prevent this below...)

Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Sauce
For the Bread Pudding:
1 large loaf of French Bread or Challah 
4 eggs
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ginger
4 cups soy milk 

For the praline topping:
1 stick margarine, melted
1 cup flour
2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 8-oz. bag chopped pecans

For the Cinnamon Sauce:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. cinnamon extract or 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. pareve creamer or soy milk

1. Cut the bread up into 1-inch cubes and allow to go stale in a big bowl overnight.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, sugars, spices, and milk. Pour mixture over the bread and allow to absorb for 30 minutes. (Note: This custard needs to sit for a while to absorb since it is thicker because of the pumpkin.)
3. Pour the bread mixture into a greased 9x13 inch dish.
4. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the praline topping. Sprinkle liberally over the bread pudding.
5. Bake the bread pudding at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean. (Note: All ovens cook slightly differently. As such, the praline topping could begin to burn before the pudding is completely cooked. If this is the case, cover the pudding with aluminum foil and bake until it is done.)
6. Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sauce. In a saucepan on high heat, mix the water and brown sugar, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cinnamon extract or cinnamon and milk or creamer. Keep warm on low heat until ready to serve.
8. Serve warm bread pudding with cinnamon sauce (and, if you'd like, a dollop of pareve whipped cream that's been flavored with cinnamon or cinnamon extract).