Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes With Southern Charm Hardcover – July 5, 2011 (16 page)

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Bread pudding is a popular ending to many Southern meals. As delicious as it may be, sometimes bread pudding can feel like a heavy dessert. My recipe uses light, airy French bread, which keeps the texture of the pudding from becoming too dense. I love the combination of creamy custard and warm white chocolate sauce—and so will your guests!

BREAD PUDDING

7 ounces French bread, crusts removed and cut into 1-inch cubes (8 cups)

3 large eggs

7 large egg yolks

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

3½ cups half-and-half

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 cup good-quality white chocolate chips

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 cup good-quality white chocolate chips

1½ cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 X 9-inch glass baking dish.

To make the bread pudding: Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to the baking dish.

Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in a large bowl.

Combine the half-and-half and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until hot, about 7 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add hot milk mixture to the egg mixture.

Melt the white chocolate with the remaining 2 tablespoons heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour the white chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring occasionally. Stir in the vanilla.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve over the bread cubes. Lightly press the cubes into the milk mixture to submerge them. Bake until the bread has absorbed the liquid and is lightly toasted, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To make the white chocolate sauce: Melt the chocolate with the cream in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.

Serve the bread pudding warm with white chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.

Serves 8 to 10

Banana Mousse Trifles

Sunday dinners at my Grandma’s house often included homemade banana pudding for dessert. This recipe captures the rich flavor of her original dish with a lighter, creamier texture. You can make the mousse a day ahead and assemble the trifle just before serving.

MOUSSE

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

Pinch of salt

3 large eggs, separated

2 cups fat-free milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Juice of ½ orange

1 large banana

1½ cups heavy cream, cold

1 box (12 ounces) vanilla wafers (you may not need all of them)

WHIPPED CREAM

½ cup heavy cream, cold

4 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

To make the mousse: Mix ½ cup of the granulated sugar, the cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and ½ cup of the milk.

Heat the remaining 1½ cups milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the milk is hot but not boiling, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually beat the hot milk into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Place the orange juice in a small bowl. Slice the banana and toss the slices with the orange juice. Pat bananas dry with paper towel and puree in a food processor. Stir the banana puree into the chilled pudding.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until they form soft peaks. Fold the beaten whites into the banana pudding.

Beat the cream with an electric mixer in a cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Fold the cream into the banana pudding. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place as many vanilla wafers as will fit on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.

To whip the cream: Beat the cream with an electric mixer in a small cold bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar.

To assemble mini trifles, place a toasted vanilla wafer into the bottom of a small glass or parfait dish. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons banana mousse on top. Continue layering wafers and mousse, ending with mousse. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a final wafer.

Serves 8

Southern Affogato

Whenever I can, I like to use local ingredients in my recipes. I enjoy going to a nearby farm and picking up my own pecans, bringing them home, cracking the shells, and extracting the “nut meat.” Then the cooking can begin . . . pecan pies, brownies, cookies, and yes, homemade ice cream. My butter pecan ice cream makes a wonderful topping for any dessert and is delicious when paired with steaming hot espresso. The recipe below makes l½ quarts—roughly double what you’ll need to make 6 affogatos. But if you’re going to the trouble of making homemade ice cream for your guests, you’ll want some left over for yourself!

BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup chopped pecans

3 large eggs

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups heavy cream
*

1½ cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

AFFOGATO

6 shots of freshly brewed espresso

To make the ice cream: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in the pecans and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and salt. Set aside.

Combine the cream and half-and-half in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisking constantly, stir a few spoonfuls of hot cream into the egg mixture to warm it. Whisking briskly, gradually beat the warmed eggs into the hot cream in the saucepan. Return to the heat and cook over medium-low until the custard thickens, about 9 minutes. The custard should coat the back of the spoon.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled, 1 to 2 hours. Pour into an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

For each serving of affogato: Place a scoop of ice cream in 6 small bowls and top with a shot of steaming hot espresso. Serve immediately.

Serve 6

*
For a lighter version, substitute whole milk for the heavy cream.

Vanilla Rice Pudding

When my mom was a little girl, her mother used to cook rice pudding—a frugal dessert made from leftover cooked rice. My more modern version of this homespun dessert is made with jasmine rice, whipping cream, and vanilla bean. At my house, we often top it with fresh fruit and nuts. Sometimes, I might even sprinkle sugar on top and brûlée it.

1 cup cooked jasmine rice

1½ cups fat-free milk

½
cup heavy cream

½
cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise and scraped), 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat the rice, milk, cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla bean and seeds. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard the bean.

Beat the whole egg and egg yolk in a small bowl. Stir in a few tablespoons of the hot milk mixture into the eggs to warm them. Slowly mix the warmed eggs back into the saucepan. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Serve the pudding warm or pour into a bowl, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, and serve chilled.

Serves 4 to 6

Taking the time to gather and arrange flowers in season for the dinner table—even during the week—gives an air of elegance to the meal. It also gives the cook a reason to get outside!