photo by Quentin Bacon
Laura Cyr, who’s known as the “Casserole Queen” at Foster’s Market, created this. She gave me this recipe, but admits that she never sticks to it. Depending on what she finds when she arrives at the Market in the morning, she might use day-old bread, or stale or broken pound cake, scones, or biscuits.
Serves 10 to 12
Butter for greasing the baking dish
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 cups half-and-half
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
6 cups 1 1/2-inch cubes day old country Italian or French bread (or any day-old bread, biscuits, or cake)
2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, pitted cherries, sliced peaches, nectarines, or plums)
Buttery Glaze
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter or spray with vegetable oil spray.
2. Stir the buttermilk, half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add the bread cubes and let them sit in the liquid for 10 to 15 minutes, until the bread is soft and has absorbed almost all the liquid. Add the fruit and stir gently to combine. Pour the bread into the buttered baking dish, making sure to get all the liquid out of the bowl.
3. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to cover the baking dish and grease it with butter and place it, buttered side down, over the baking dish. Bake the bread pudding for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, until the top of the bread pudding is golden brown and crispy.
4. While the bread pudding is baking, whisk the butter and cream together in a small bowl. Slowly add the sifted confectioners’ sugar, whisking until the glaze is smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the still-warm pudding. Serve warm.
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