Bread Pudding A La Puerta Ricana Recipes

BUDIN (PUERTO RICAN BREAD PUDDING)

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and anise seeds. Cover, and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons water with 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar completely, but stop stirring once the mixture comes to a boil. Stay near the stove to monitor the color, swirling the pan gently to redistribute the caramel as the sugar begins to darken. Cook to about 310 degrees F (160 degrees C), or until the sugar turns light golden brown, then pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Set aside to allow the caramel to harden.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove the crusts from the day-old bread, tear the bread into cubes, and place into a large mixing bowl. Strain the spice tea through a fine mesh sieve to remove the spices. Add to the bread along with the evaporated milk. Stir to evenly moisten, and set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl along with 1 1/2 cups of sugar, the vanilla extract, salt, and melted butter. Stir in the moistened bread mixture until evenly mixed. Pour into the loaf pan over the caramel.
• Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the loaf pan on the towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool in the pan for about an hour, then refrigerate until cold, 2 hours more. When ready, invert the budin onto a serving plate. The caramel will have turned to a syrup and will cover the budin like a sauce.

BREAD PUDDING A LA PUERTA RICANA

Steps:

• Bring raisins and 1/3 c. rum to a boil. Stir and then soak for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Butter and sugar a 9x13" pan. Add 12 oz. cubed bread. Whisk together milk, 1/2 c. sugar, cream of coconut, eggs, 2 egg yolks, vanilla and nutmeg. Once smooth, add in liquored-up raisins. Pour over bread, pressing the cubes down so that they are covered. Put a kettle on to boil. Place a roasting pan large enough to hold the 9x13 pan in the oven. Cover bread pudding with aluminum foil and place in larger pan, then add boiling water. Cook 40 minutes, then uncover and cook 30 minutes or until golden. Toast pecans in a saucepan until they are fragrant and set aside. Make rum sauce by melting 1/4 c. butter then adding 1 egg yolk 1/2 c. rum and 1/2 c. brown sugar . Bring to a boil then simmer until the sugar dissolves and thickens a bit. Pour over the bread pudding, sprinkle pecans, and serve. Variation below: *If you want to serve this more formally, sprinkle the top of the bread pudding with brown sugar and melt it under the broiler very carefully (i.e., don't burn it). Give each plate a pool of rum sauce, place a square of bread pudding in sauce, sprinkle pecans on top, then garnish with whipped cream and grated nutmeg.