white chocolate

I am off soon to a birthday brunch for a beloved friend.  Beloved friend birthday brunches deserve really special desserts made with lots of love.  This is one of those type of desserts.  It looks way more complicated than it is.  If you have ever eaten at a Nordstrom Cafe you may have tried this or at least wanted to. I love the Nordstrom Cafe Bistros, so of course I have all of the Nordstrom cookbooks and they have kindly supplied the recipe to this decadent dessert in the Friends and Family cookbook and I  have only tweaked it a little.  I knew I might be capable of making it when my friend, Pam, brought it to a Christmas party a couple of years ago.  She is way more domestic than me, but she gave me hope.  Sure enough, I was able to make this and that means anyone is capable!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Raspberry-Lime Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 T. butter
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 1/2 cups white chocolate morsels
• 6 large eggs
• 12 large egg yolks
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 big loaf french bread, cut into 1/2
• Raspberry Sauce:
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 t. grated lime zest (original recipe called for orange)
• 2 cups fresh or unsweetened frozen raspberries
• 1 t. cornstarch
• White Chocolate Sauce:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup white chocolate morsels
• Garnish:
• fresh raspberries
• white chocolate ribbons

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pam a 9×13 baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat combine cream, milk and sugar until just hot. Remove from heat and add the white chocolate and whisk until melted. Cool enough so the eggs do not curdle in the next step.
3. Whisk together whole eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in a large bowl. Slowly add the cream mixture while still whisking. If the eggs start to curdle the cream mixture is still too hot.
4. Lay half the bread sliced at the bottom of the pan. Pour half the egg cream mixture over the bread and allow it to absorb. Layer the remaining bread on top and pour the rest of the egg cream mixture over making sure every piece is wet. Cover the pan with foil.
5. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes – until the liquid in the center has evaporated. Let cool completely and then refrigerate until cold. (I did these steps the night before)
6. Then invert the pan onto a cutting board, trim outside edges if you want to and cut into 6 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half on the diagonal – so you end up with 12 triangles. Put back into the fridge until you are ready to finish it off.
7. To finish – place triangles on buttered baking sheet so they are not touching, brush the tops with the melted butter and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Raspberry Sauce:
9. In saucepan combine water, sugar and zest and boil for about 3 minutes. Add the raspberries and cornstarch a cook on low for another 3 minutes. Cool a bit. I like seeds in mine, but if you do not go ahead and strain through a fine mesh sieve.
10. White Chocolate Sauce:
11. Warm the cream in a saucepan until hot. Remove from the heat and mix in the white chocolate morsels until smooth.
12. To assemble dessert:
13. Stand a warm bread pudding on its side on a dessert plate. Spoon a strip of white chocolate sauce over the plate, including over the top of the pudding. Spoon the raspberry sauce at opposite edges of the plate. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate ribbons for a fancy schmancy touch.