Recipe Revamp: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

One of the earliest recipes I posted to this blog was a Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Sauce. It was good and I very much remember enjoying it. But, I'm not gonna lie - I haven't made it since I posted it. That tends to happen to me with new recipes - I love them, people rave about them, and then I never make them again because there are so many new recipes out there to try!

Until a few weeks ago. I was assigned dessert for a meal I was co-hosting and, I don't even have to say it: it's fall, I'm obsessed with pumpkin, there was no way this dessert was going to be anything other than pumpkin-based. After referring to my old pumpkin bread pudding recipe and reading all my little notes about what I'd do differently, I decided to just do things differently from the get-go. I tweaked quantities, changed the topping, and - most significantly - I completely changed the accompanying sauce. My tastes have matured a bit since this blog began, and even though I'm not a whiskey fan myself, I can definitely appreciate the flavors of bourbon in a spicy pumpkin dessert. So, here she is: my updated Pumpkin Streusel Bread Pudding with Sweet Bourbon Sauce.

Pumpkin Streusel Bread Pudding with Sweet Bourbon Sauce
Serves 12

1 challah (I used a cinnamon crumb challah, but a large plain challah is just fine too)

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

3 cups non-dairy milk (I used original flavored rice milk)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

2-3 tsp. cinnamon (I always err on the side of cinnamon)

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

For the streusel topping:

4 tbsp. margarine, softened

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

For the Sweet Bourbon Sauce

1 stick margarine

1 c. sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp. bourbon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
3. Cut the challah into 1-1.5" cubes and place in the pumpkin mixture. Mix well so all the challah cubes are covered; set aside to absorb.
4. Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, mix the streusel ingredients by hand, so that they become crumb-y (pea-sized).
5. Pour the bread pudding into a greased 9"x13" pan. Drop the streusel mixture on top to cover.
6. Bake for an hour, checking after 50 minutes with a knife to see if the pudding has set.
7. To make the Bourbon sauce, melt the margarine in a small saucepan with the sugar over medium-high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the egg and whisk continually for 2 minutes, so that the egg doesn't scramble. The mixture will thicken a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the bourbon.
8. Serve individual portions of warm bread pudding with room-temperature bourbon sauce on top.

Spectacular Spuds

I am of the opinion that no meal is complete without carbs. I come from a long line of women who would routinely prepare fantastic Shabbos and yuntif meals that were accompanied by a potato of some sort and a rice of some sort and some other version of a non-Atkins approved food item. Because that's just comfort. So when a friend asked me to prepare a potato dish for a recent yuntif meal, I was more than happy to oblige.

Mashed potatoes are kinda just the perfect blank canvas. They go with sweeter sauces and more savory items; they are the perfect bed for chicken, beef, fish, everything. But they can be sorta...blah. So I just started sauteeing and adding and mixing and, before I knew it, I had The Perfect mashed potato. I don't use that term lightly, so you need to trust me on this. Caramelized onions, garlic, and mushrooms added amazing sweetness and texture, and the combo of margarine, pareve sour cream, and chicken stock made for a very flavorful and moist dish - which I was a especially worried about because I made these several days before they were going to be eaten, and I knew they'd be reheated for several hours. (Nothing worse than a dry, chalky mashed potato. Priorities, people.) And then, how can you go wrong by adding crispy fried onions on top? I mean, you can't.

These flew off the table. And then I started giving out the recipe (which meant that I had to actually write down the recipe.) And then I made them again. And again. And now I gift them to you. You're welcome.

Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Mashed Potatoes
serves 12

5 lbs. potatoes
2 10-oz. containers of mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp. minced garlic
oil

1 stick of margarine

1 12-oz. container of pareve sour cream

1-2 cups chicken stock (I've used both real chicken stock and the fake stuff. Both work fine.)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of French's Fried Onions, for serving

1. Heat oil in a pan and sautee the mushrooms until caramelized on medium high heat, about 20 minutes. (They will release a lot of liquid at first. Continue cooking until all the liquid is gone and the mushrooms brown up.) Set aside.

2. In a separate pan with additional oil, caramelize the onions and garlic on medium heat, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1.5" pieces. Put them in a large pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until soft, about 10 minutes; drain and put back into the hot pot to evaporate excess water for 2 minutes.

4. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and begin to mash with a masher. Add margarine and sour cream while the potatoes are warm and incorporate.
5. Add the caramelized vegetables and chicken stock.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Potatoes are bland can handle quite a bit of salt.)

7. Serve on a platter with crunchy onions on top.