ORANGE-ALMOND BREAD PUDDING

Orange-Almond Bread Pudding image

My grandmother used to throw a fit if I ordered something as simple as fruit salad or soup in a restaurant. "Why pay for that? You can make it at home," she'd say in a voice that made you feel like a fool if you had the temerity to disagree. "Order something else!" Anyone who met my grandmother knew it was best not to cross her. Otherwise, you'd hear about it, repeatedly, for the next three to five years. Minimum. I feel that way about bread pudding. It's something I want at home, not in a restaurant. My version mingles orange and almond and is a much more refined and luxurious than the usual bread pudding. Enjoy it in the comfort of your own dining room, but pretend you're eating it in a restaurant, without anyone to harp on you about it. In case any of your guests decides to leave a tip, I'll gladly accept my 15 percent.

Yield makes 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
Grated zest of 4 oranges, preferably organic
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
6 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Triple Sec
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg white, at room temperature
7 ounces (200 g) almond paste, crumbled
1 loaf (1 pound/450 g) firm-textured white bread (such as pain de mie), cut into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) slices

Steps:

In a medium saucepan, warm the milk, cream, orange zest, and the 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
Reheat the milk-cream mixture until it's quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then gradually whisk in the warm milk-cream mixture, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts, orange liqueur, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl or large pitcher. Set aside.
Butter a 2-quart (2-liter) shallow baking dish or soufflé mold.
In a small bowl, beat together the egg white and almond paste until smooth. Spread a spoonful of almond paste over one side of each bread slice. Layer the bread slices in the prepared baking dish, almond paste side down. (If you are using a round or oval dish, halve each slice of bread diagonally to form triangles, then make layers of triangles arranged in a pinwheel pattern.) Pour the milk-egg yolk mixture over the bread and gently press the bread down, submerging the layers in the liquid. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the pudding for at least 1 hour or up to overnight, pressing down the bread from time to time so that it becomes completely saturated.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Sprinkle the top of the pudding very liberally with sugar. Set the baking dish in a larger roasting pan and pour warm water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the bread pudding is puffed in the center and the top is rich golden brown, about 1 hour. Let cool until warm.
Bread pudding is best served warm. It's good all by itself, but it's great with a ladleful of Rich Caramel Sauce (page 241) or Tangerine Butterscotch Sauce (page 242).
The unbaked pudding should be chilled for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before baking. Once baked, it can be refrigerated overnight and rewarmed in a low oven, covered with aluminum foil.
To make a chocolate-studded bread pudding, add 10 ounces (280 g) coarsely chopped dark or milk chocolate, distributing some in the bottom of the baking dish and between the layers of bread as you arrange them in the dish.