White Chocolate Bread Pudding with Mocha Crme Anglaise

YIELD: approx. 20 4 oz. portions

Bread Pudding:

4 qts. (leftover) yeast donuts, Danish, pastry and croissants
2 cups raisins (golden)
½ cup sugar
1 qt. half & half cream
1 qt. heavy cream
4 each egg yolk
4 each whole eggs
2 Tbsps. pure vanilla extract

White Chocolate Ganache:

1 lb. white chocolate (chopped)
2 oz. butter
8 oz. heavy cream

Mocha Crème Anglaise:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsps. cocoa powder
1 qt. heavy cream
2 oz. espresso or strong coffee
2 each vanilla beans
12 each egg yolks

Mt. Rainier Cherry Confit:

1 cup black cherry syrup
1 cup Drambuie liquor
1 cup granulated sugar
1 each juice from lemon
1 lb. Mt. Rainier Cherries or Dried Cherries (stone removed)

For bread pudding:

1. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2” full size hotel pan. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

2. Cut the pastry and Danish into large cubes, toss in the raisins and place in prepared hotel pan.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and both creams until blended. Pour the egg/cream mixture over the pastries and allow to totally saturate them. Press absorbed pastry slightly into the corners and level as entire product over pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Center should be set and firm. Uncover, and bake an additional 15 minutes.

4. Remove pan, and allow to cool for 15 minutes before pouring the white chocolate ganache over top. Serve warm or chilled.

For the white chocolate ganache:

1. In a double boiler, melt the white chocolate and the butter. (Do not allow chocolate to get to warm, or it will break and separate.)

2. In a sauce pot, heat the cream, but do not boil. Add the warm cream to the white chocolate and whisk to blend. Set aside and keep warm for service.

For Mocha Crème Anglaise:

1. In a medium sized sauce pot, stir together all the sugar and cocoa powder. Add all the cream, espresso and the vanilla beans. Turn on the stove to medium heat and whisk the mixture until totally combined. Using a wooden spoon, continue to stir the cream mixture until it begins to bubble slightly.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks. With a ladle, spoon the hot cream mixture into the eggs and temper gradually. Continue to add another three to four ladles of the cream into the eggs and temper. Pour all the tempered egg mixture into the sauce pot and continue to stir until mixture begins to thicken and returns to a slow gurgle. (165°F) (do not allow to curdle)

3. Strain the hot Crème Anglaise into a stainless steel container through a Chinois or fine mesh strainer. Remove the vanilla beans, and with the back of a pairing knife, scrape all the seeds off the pod and into the strained Crème Anglaise. Stir.

4. Place the container of cream into an ice and water bath and stir occasionally until completely cooled.

For the Mt. Rainier cherry confit:

1. In a small sauce pot, bring the drambuie, sugar, lemon juice and syrup to a boil. (Precaution: liquid will ignite and flame for a few minutes)

2. Add the cherries, stir and remove from heat and allow to macerate and thicken in the pot. 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occasionally. Serve warm or chilled.

To assemble: Spoon Creme Anglaise onto dessert plate. Place bread pudding over Creme Anglaise and dress with cherry confit. Garnish with white chocolate pieces or as desired.

Recipe and photo by Aleks Pyka, Corporate Executive Chef, FLIK International Corp, Doyalstown, PA

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