White Chocolate Berry Bread Pudding
Author: Lorena Garcia Published with permission by HSN.com
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 50 mins
"Torta de pan is Venezuela’s version of bread pudding made with condensed milt for extra creaminess and spiked with rum for a kick. I make mine with flaky croissants, and instead of condensed milk, I make a silky white chocolate sauce that gets poured over croissant cubes and fresh raspberries. It bakes into a rich custard, creating an incredibly elegant yet simple dessert—especially when they’re baked in individual portions." Chef Lorena Garcia
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 plain day-old croissants, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 3 cups heavy cream
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
  • 4 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup dark rum
  • 2 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 pint fresh Florida Strawberries
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • Whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
  1. Pour cream in a medium saucepan. Use the back of a paring knife to scrape the vanilla seeds from the bean and add both to the cream. Stir in the white chocolate. Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, until the white chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat the rum, sugar and ¼ cup of water over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Place the rasberries in a medium bowl and pour the rum syrup over the berries. Gently stir to combine.
  3. Preheat skillet to medium heat and spread the croissant cubes out in an even layer in the bottom of a baking dish. Cover the croissant cubes with the rum-soaked raspberries and syrup.
  4. Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Remove the vanilla bean from the white chocolate mixture and then whisk about 1 cup of the white chocolate mixture into the eggs. Once the bottom of the bowl is warm (you may need to add ½ to 1 cup more of the white chocolate mixture to sufficiently temper the eggs so they don’t curdle), whisk in the remaining white chocolate mixture. Use a rubber spatula to scrape this mixture evenly over the raspberries and croissant cubes.
  5. Place the pan with the bread pudding in the skillet. Fill the skillet with warm water to reach half way up the sides of the baking dish. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the pudding is set and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the skillet and cool completely. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if using.
  6. © 2013 Lorena Garcia Reprinted with permission from hsn.com
Recipe by Family Foodie at https://familyfoodierecipes.com/white-holiday-cook-off-with-hsn-hsncooks/