Fruits

Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Do you like bread pudding? It’s a popular dessert, but I was never a fan.

Am I allowed to say that? Is it sacrilegious?

When I think “pudding,” I think… well, PUDDING. A creamy, dairy-based dessert, ideally involving chocolate. Bread has nothing to do with it.

The bread puddings I had tried were either dry, mushy, or both. It was like eating stuffing (which for me, isn’t a compliment), only sweet. The flavors weren’t anything special. With so many great desserts out there, bread pudding never entered my mind as something worth making.

And then a year ago, my best friend made this recipe for one of our Sunday suppers.

All that animosity between me and bread pudding? Gone.

The combination of tangy apples, slightly caramelized pieces of bread from the bottom of the pan, and salted caramel sauce are a nice balance of flavors. The dish stays moist as long as you don’t overbake it.

When I decided to restart my Sunday Suppers, I knew this was a great recipe to kick it off. Assemble it in the morning before you leave for brunch, let the flavors mingle all day, then put it in the oven about 30 minutes before you sit down for supper.

Apple Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce

Adapted from The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, by Amy Traverso

Makes 6-8 servings

Butter for greasing pan
1 loaf (1 pound) crusty white bread, such as Pullman style or Italian
1 1/2 cups caramelized apples (1/2 batch)
3 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup salted caramel sauce

Butter an 11″ x 7″ baking pan. Set aside. Trim the crusts off the sides and ends of the bread, leaving top and bottom intact. Cut the loaf into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Arrange the pieces evenly in the prepared pan. Tuck the caramelized apples down among the bread pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to 8 hours.

Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Toss the bread cubes and apples with your hands so that all the pieces are moistened. Bake the pudding until the top is golden brown and the custard is set, about 50 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salted caramel sauce. Serve the pudding hot in individual bowls, with caramel poured over top.

Caramelized Apples

Apples are one of my favorite foods. They have a long shelf life, and you can find good ones year-round (though they’re still best in season, September-October, and pick them if you can!). They are versatile for cooking, and also great by themselves. Pretty fantastic.

This dish is great as a filling for crepes, used in bread pudding, paired with bacon, sausage, pancakes or biscuits, or by itself.

Caramelized Apples

From The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, by Amy Traverso

Makes about 3 cups

3 Tbs salted butter
2 1/2 pounds (about 5) firm-sweet apples (such as Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Jazz, or Jonagold), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup fresh apple cider
1/2 cup maple syrup, divided
2 Tbs granulated sugar

Melt the butter in a 12- to 14-inch skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the apples and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened and lightly browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the apple cider and cook, stirring often, until the cider reduces to a glaze, about 3 minutes. Add half the maple syrup and the sugar and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened and glossy and the apples are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Finish with the remaining maple syrup, stir, and serve.

Caramelized apples will keep, covered, for several days in the refrigerator.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

You didn’t think I’d forgotten, did you?

Pumpkin Trifecta #3: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

I first started making these pumpkin cupcakes from Smitten Kitchen a couple years ago. I love that they aren’t overloaded by oil or butter, which keeps them feeling light while allowing the pumpkin and spice to shine through. This is what a fall dessert should taste like.

These are a great treat all through fall, but they are especially fun for a Halloween party. For an easy but impressive decoration, pipe a few circles of black decorator frosting or gel and pull a toothpick from the center.

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 18 cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

For frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with 18 liners.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt into a medium bowl.

Add the eggs one at a time to the mixer, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth.

Scoop batter into cupcake liners, about 3/4 full. Tap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

In a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar. Frost cupcakes.