Is it nearly spring? The recent rains have subsided, clouds parting to reveal a somewhat foreign looking blue sky. Temperatures still plummet by evening, leaving appetites craving carbohydrates although we should know better.
Well, why not take in the few needed bits of soothing winter comforts before eschewing them for green vegetables and a more slimming diet? I can’t think of a nicer way to use up leftover bread than to make it into a Pilgrim-style pudding.
Toss it with cinnamon and vanilla, stir in the makings of a silky custard, and finish it off with apple slices and the last few drops hoarded in the souvenir bottle of maple syrup from that road trip to the Vermont mountains.
Dessert? Sure. But saved until the next morning, this dessert, with its French toast-y flavors, doubles as breakfast. Perfect with a steaming mugs of coffee on the back porch on Saturday morning, or zapped in the microwave on a busy weekday.
And if, by chance, the leftover bread is pumpernickel or rye, then use the same method to turn it into a hearty lunch or supper. Add some scraps of corned beef, sauerkraut, and a bit of grainy mustard, inventing a more economical way to replicate a Reuben sandwich. Pair it with a green salad coated with a tangy vinaigrette.
Now, this doesn’t exactly translate to a low calorie meal, but it certainly lightens the load when compared to the piled-high, deli-style sandwich that you might have polished off instead.
APPLE-MAPLE BREAD PUDDING
Makes 6 servings
3 large eggs
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 of a 1-pound loaf rustic bread, crust trimmed, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes (7 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 Granny Smith apples, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons additional maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra dark brown sugar
1. Whisk together eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and milk in a bowl until well blended.
2. Add bread cubes; press into liquid to cover. Let soak at 30 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread cubes to keep covered with the liquid.
3. Preheat heat to 350 degrees. Generously butter a loaf pan.
4. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices. Cook, stirring, until golden and barely softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the additional maple syrup and brown sugar, simmering gently for 1 minute, until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. Set aside.
