email this pageNew Orleans is famous for a lot of dishes—red beans and rice, jambalaya, and po boy sandwiches just to name a few. But there’s only one dessert that matters in this food-centric city: bread pudding.
“In New Orleans, bread pudding is right up there with red beans and rice,” says Dickie Brennan, owner of Dickie Brennan’s Palace Café, Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse and Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House. “It’s been around for many generations, and it’s a staple. And everyone has their own ways to make it their own, special dessert.”
This Creole dish evolved from chefs and home cooks trying to find ways to use leftover French bread. To the bread, people would add milk or cream, eggs and a little sugar. Then, over time, people began to get more creative and add other ingredients. Some people add brown sugar and raisins, others add whisky or rum, and still others add cinnamon or fresh fruit. Usually, bread pudding is accompanied with a crème anglais or bourbon sauce on the side. Brennan himself will add white chocolate, bananas and other delicacies to dress it up. Others use semisweet chocolate, as in the recipe below.
But whether bananas are added or the recipe is more traditional, the main thing is to make sure that the bread is stale and hard so that it will soak up the custard when cooking.Chocolate Bread Pudding
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4 eggs
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces Kahlua or brandy
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
4 cups cubed stale French bread
Whipped cream or vanilla cream, optional
Chocolate sprinkles, optional
2. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, melted chocolate and Kahlua in a large bowl. When very smooth, stir in milk and mix well. Add bread and let stand for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure bread is evenly soaked.
4. Ladle half the bread mixture into loaf pan. Spread remaining 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips on top. Ladle remaining bread mixture over chocolate chips. Bake about 55 minutes, until center is set. Cool. Garnish with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles, if desired. Serves 10.
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