The Hit of the Party

I'm having some trouble with my photo software but hopefully I'll have the problem solved sometime this morning. While we're waiting for pics of the party I'll share the recipe for the hit of the evening, which was the dessert.

PECAN BREAD PUDDING with CREME ANGLAISE

1 TBSP. butter
4 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmet
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
6 cups day old French or Italian bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Creme Anglaise (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the muffin tins with the butter. Whisk the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla together until well blended. Add the cream and milk and whisk. Fold in the bread cubes and the pecans. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spoon the bread mixture into the muffin tins. Place the muffin tins onto a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the center is firm.

CREME ANGLAISE

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Heat the cream, milk and vanilla in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Put the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is pale yellow in color and the sugar has dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of the heated milk/cream mixture to the egg mixture while sitrring with a whisk. Next add the egg mixture to the milk/cream whisking constantly. Be sure to stir in the corners of the pot and lower the heat slightly. Stir the mixture for 5-6 minutes or until the custard has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat. Pour into a heatproof bowl and place this onto another bowl that's half-filled with ice and water. This will cool the custard. Stir occasionally to speed the cooling process. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

To serve: Place a bread pudding on a decorative plate and spoon the Creme Anglaise over the top and down the side. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, if desired.

NOTE: I baked the pudding for a longer period of time because they didn't seem to be setting up in the 35 minutes suggested in the recipe. I also found it difficult to unmold them and they were very attractive. Thankfully the Creme Anglaise and mint sprigs hid a multitude of sins. It wouldn't matter what they looked like because my guests were crazy for them! The Creme Anglaise is a very light and thin custard. Don't think egg custard texture, it's more like a soft whipped cream. It was so delicious.

There were several guests who couldn't make the party at the last minute and the other guests were fighting over they extra bread puddings!

Let me know what you think if you try this recipe.

Thanks for visiting with me today because I always enjoy the company.