Cranberry Bread Pudding
A different kind of bread pudding, with cranberries!
Tag: Dessert
Cranberry Chiffon Pie
Very light cranberries mousse pie – would make an outstanding Thanksgiving dessert!
Oeufs au pain (bread pudding soufflé)
Another recipe originating in From the Hearth, this one is a bread pudding with a difference. Not your typical dense bread pudding, it’s light and airy due to the addition of beaten egg whites. This is another dish using candied peel, which you can make yourself.
Ingredients
4 cups bread, cubed 4 cups milk 1 cup sugar 6 eggs, separated and beaten salt 1-2 tsp orange flower water 2 tbsp candied peel, chopped fine
Instructions
Bring the milk to a boil. Pour over bread and mix in sugar, salt, orange flower water and candied peel. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. Run through a sieve (I didn't do this). Add the beaten egg yolks. Then fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into a buttered dish (or two - expect to need two medium-large oven-safe bowls), and place in a bain-marie (water bath). Bake about 1 hour, or until tester comes out clean. Option: sprinkle top with sugar and brown under the broiler until golden.
This made a LOT. I had to use two baking dishes, and two bain-maries (neither of which was deep enough). I feel like my kitchen is pretty well stocked, and I was a little stumped as to how I’d arrange big baking dishes into other even bigger baking dishes. I will cut this in half next time.
I decided not to try and sieve the bread post-soaking – it was almost all broken up anyway (with the exception of a few bits of bottom crust), and I like my bread pudding with some texture.
Egg yolks 
Fluffy! 
Folded in 
Adding bain-marie water
Two bowls! This is a lot! 
The result was really light and airy and moist. You expect the moist part from bread pudding, but honestly I would not have predicted this texture from a dish with 4 cups of bread in it.
The recipe book suggested pureed fruit or cream sauce to go with it – I went for strawberry.
The verdict
This was really, really excellent. Super light. Just the right amount of citrus/floral from the peel and orange flower water. Not too sweet. Overall, fantastic. I will make this again. Just … less of it.
Grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake
A strawberry shortcake with a different type of base – absolutely the best!
Chocolate Marshmallow Ice Cream
This was a very unusual looking recipe when I picked it out of Wartime Recipes from the Maritimes. And it certainly ended up being extremely odd! (It also resulted in some science experiments with marshmallows and the freezer).
Since one is left with half a can of condensed milk after attempting this dessert (and food waste is certainly not in the spirit of this cookbook), I made a half recipe of Toastaroons with the excess (the easiest cookies I’ve ever made – those wartime cooks knew something about really easy but good desserts!).
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup condensed milk, divided (about 1.5 cans) 1/2 cup water 2 squares (2 ounces) chocolate, chopped 16 marshmallows 1/4 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Heat water, chocolate, and 1/2 cup condensed milk in a double boiler, stirring until chocolate has melted. Add the marshmallows, sugar, salt, and lemon juice, and continue stirring until the marshmallows have melted and the mixture is smooth. Chill. Beat the remaining cup of condensed milk [? evaporated listed in original here] until light, and fold into the marshmallow mixture. Pour into a shallow container and freeze for at least 3 hours before serving.
The recipe was pretty straightforward.
The whipping of the condensed milk was a little odd. It didn’t add much volume, and I’m not sure how stable the whipped milk was. But still straightforward.
I though it would, you know, freeze. In the freezer. Like ice cream. That … did not happen.
It tasted like very, very, VERY sweet, thick, half-melted soft serve. It poured from a spoon after over 3 hours in the freezer (and, as we learned, it still poured after a couple more days in the freezer too). We think it stays liquid-y because of the marshmallow (we had fun freezing and thawing one to try to test this theory).
Now, full disclosure, the “remaining cup” in the printed recipe lists “evaporated milk”, although condensed milk appears everywhere else. But I have some hope that it was intended to be evaporated milk, because I don’t know how anyone could make something so sickly sweet!? And why add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar to condensed milk and marshmallow?! Also, why does this recipe make SO much!? (My kid loved it, though).
The verdict
I might make this again to try subbing in evaporated milk for that last cup (I will report back here if I do). Or, you know, if I really want to horrify my dentist. Otherwise, I think this is one of those “interesting to try once” recipes.
Do you like really sweet desserts? Did you modify the recipe and try it? Let us know!
Grandma’s strawberry shortcake
One of my favourite desserts! Straight from my grandmother’s recipes.
Tart pastry cases
This is less of a recipe, and more assembly instructions. I have not (yet) been brave enough to try making my own pâte feuilletée, or puff pastry. It’s an intimidating process of several hours. Fortunately, frozen puff pastry is widely available!
Make up some dessert cream, then bake these tart cases to fill with it! And even little kids can do the assembly.
Modified from original directions in From the Hearth. Makes about 12 tart cases.
Ingredients
200 grams frozen puff pastry, thawed 1-2 tbsp milk 1 egg yolk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450F. Roll out puff pastry to 1/8" thickness. Cut 24 two-inch rounds. For half of the rounds (12), cut the centre out with a smaller cutter (1"). (Either keep the centres to bake as little lids, or knead them together, re-roll them out, and cut more tart shells from them). Brush the plain rounds with cold water and press the cut-out rounds on top. Brush the tops with either milk or a milk/egg yolk mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 450F, or until delicately brown.
The only thing challenging thing in terms of timing is to remember take the puff pastry out of the freezer well in advance. Check the package about exact length of time to thaw and whether you should thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
I was skeptical when I rolled this pastry out paper thin. This surely wouldn’t result in usable tarts?! But this pastry lives up to its name – it puffed up beautifully.
My kid very much enjoyed putting together his own tart, with dessert cream and a few pieces of candied peel on top.
The Verdict
As long as you are using the pre-made puff pastry, these are very easy and look quite impressive!
What would you put in these tarts? Sweet or savoury nibbles? Let us know in the comments!
Dessert Cream
Dessert cream has multiple uses, and it’s even delicious by the spoonful out of the fridge!