Recipe Archives->Breads Pudding->Chocolate 10

Caramelized Chocolate Bread Pudding
Yield: 6 servings.

About 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 to 6 1/2-inch-thick slices brioche
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 3/4 cups milk
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces best quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon raw sugar (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place a large roasting pan in oven, and
bring a kettle of water to a boil. Generously butter brioche slices
on one side; cut in half diagonally. In a large bowl, whisk together
the eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, vanilla,
cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Sprinkle chocolate in a large casserole
at least 3 inches deep. Lay slices of bread, butter side up, over
chocolate, overlapping slices like fish scales. Use just enough
bread to cover all the chocolate. Pour custard on top, making sure
to soak all the bread. When kettle comes to a boil, place casserole
inside roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water into
roasting pan to come halfway up sides of casserole. Bake until
custard is just set, 40 to 60 minutes, depending on dimensions of
casserole. Pudding is done when bread in center rises up and is
bouncy to touch. Remove from oven.

If you have a kitchen blowtorch, sprinkle sugar over top of pudding,
and use torch to lightly caramelize sugar. If you do not have a
blowtorch, skip this step (a broiler will curdle custard). Pudding
should be served warm, not hot.

Printable version: chocolate10.txt.