Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding With Dried Pears Recipes

SLOW COOKED WINTER BREAD PUDDING WITH DRIED PEARS

Steps:

• If bread is not stale: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and cook until toasted, about 10 minutes.
• Whisk the half-and-half, eggs, sugar, whiskey, vanilla, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Toss bread cubes and dried fruit together and place into the slow cooker. Pour custard over top and press down lightly until all bread is covered with custard.
• Cover and cook on LOW until pudding puffs and is just set, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove insert from the slow cooker and cool on a rack, about 20 minutes.
• Spoon pudding into large cups or bowls and sprinkle each serving with cinnamon sugar, and toasted nuts. Top with whipped cream or yogurt, if desired.

PEAR BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix in the butter and 1 tablespoon of vanilla just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 cup white sugar, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, pear brandy and salt.
• Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with a layer of bread. Top with a layer of pear. Pour about 1/4 of the custard over the layers followed by about 1/3 of the heavy cream. Sprinkle with some of the crumb topping. Repeat layers until you are out of ingredients, ending with the crumb topping on top. Press down on the layers as needed to help them absorb the liquid. Cover the pan with parchment paper then seal with aluminum foil. Place another baking pan on top or two dinner plates to keep it from puffing while it bakes.
• Place the pudding onto a larger pan or cookie sheet with sides. Pour boiling water into the bottom pan until it is half way full.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking for 25 minutes. Pudding is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

VANILLA POACHED PEARS

Steps:

• Make dessert in just 15 minutes: Peel, halve and core 4 pears. Put in a shallow dish with 1 cup white wine, 2/3 cup sugar, 2 strips grapefruit zest and 1 split vanilla bean. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave about 10 minutes. Serve the pears with the vanilla syrup; top with whipped cream, if desired.

WINTER PEARS

Steps:

• Combine sugar, vinegar, pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a bowl. Mix well to incorporate. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime cut the pears (skin on) into thin wedges with the seeds and stem removed. A good trick is to halve the fruit then use a melon-baller to scoop out the seeds then trim away the small bit of stem.
• Place pears in a mixing bowl and carefully mix. When the balsamic-sugar mixture is ready, pour over the fruit and mix gently to coat evenly. Gently crush the biscotti into 6 serving bowls. Divide the pears into each dish then top with a dollop of the mascarpone cheese or a scoop of caramel or cinnamon flavored gelato or ice cream. Serve immediately.

SLOW-COOKED BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• In a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray, combine the bagels, apple, cranberries and raisins. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over bagel mixture and stir to combine; gently press bagels down into milk mixture., Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If desired, dust servings with confectioners' sugar.

BREAD PUDDING IN THE SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Place bread and raisins in a slow cooker.
• Whisk milk, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and nutmeg together in a bowl; pour over bread and raisins. Toss to evenly coat.
• Cook on Low until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, about 3 hours.