This first image of the tart cherry bread pudding was in my head long before I’d even settled on what recipe to make. I pictured the individual ramekins filled to the brim with pudding goodness, all grouped together, and topped with whipping cream. Sometimes, the pictures in my head are the directors of my projects, inspiring me to make, bake and cook. In this blogging business, styling and photography top of my favorite list. Laying out the shot, adding in props – which dish to use? which linens? what angle will best show the focal point? I like the puzzle. My desire is to create a scene my better self could pull off in real life.
The storyline here is getting these tart cherry bread puddings ready to serve to a dinner party as the sweet finish to their meal; the comfort food is hot and ready for eating. It’s lightly sweet, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and the warm-from-the-oven custard of bread, eggs and milk is delicious. The tart cherry bits add a hint of tarty goodness and everything is better with whipping cream.
The timing of this opportunity to get creative with Montmorency tart cherries is just perfect. I’ve been enjoying more tart and sour flavors lately like straight lemon and lime juice. This tart cherry sorbet I made last year is on my list. An interesting factoid about sour foods: the sour taste is often a sign of beneficial nutrient compounds. Tart cherries have these nutrient compounds including ones that work to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness and ones that help the quality and duration of sleep. So when you and your dinner guests are enjoying the delicious conclusion to your wonderful meal, remember, those little bits of tart are doing you good.
One might assume I timed this recipe post to perfectly coincide with the giveaway but that would be an erroneous conclusion. Haha! I just happened to use the same version of tart cherries going to the winner! Here are the full details. It’s a good one!
One winner will collect:
-Tart cherry juice
-Dried tart cherries
-Le Creuset cookware set
-Le Creuset silicone cooking tools set
-Anthropolgie Apron
Wowza! I’m having a hard time not entering myself. :) Comment below and you are entered. Open to US residents only.
This giveaway will close on Sunday September 21st at 11:59pm CST and the winner will be announced on Monday.
GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED
Winner: Jen
Good luck!
And finally, the recipe.
Recipe barely adapted from Joy of Cooking
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz sliced white bread, about 4-5 lightly packed cups - bread should be stale but not hard, with crusts removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3/4 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- whipping cream to top
Instructions
- Butter 8 ramekins. This bread pudding calls for a water bath so place the ramekins in a sided baking dish large enough to hold them without any of them touching (might need two). The bottom should be covered with a wire rack or towel to prevent the puddings from coming into contact with the hot pan bottom.
- Toss the bread cubes with the chopped tart cherries and then divide among the 8 ramekins.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Pour over the bread and tart cherries in the 8 ramekins. Let them stand for 30 minutes to soak up the liquid, occasionally pressing the bread to make sure it all gets covered.
- Place the ramekins in the prepared baking dish into an oven set to 350F. Pour the hottest tap water into the sided baking dish, around the ramekins and fill until the water line reaches half to two-thirds of the way up the little dishes.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Serve warm and top with whipping cream
Notes
Forgot to leave the bread out to get stale? If you have a day until you need to make the dish, lay out the bread on cooling racks so air can get to all parts of the slices to dry it out. If it's the day of, lay the bread, either even slices or cubes, out on a cookie sheet and dry it out in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until dry, toasted or golden brown.
This post is in partnership with Cherry Marketing Institute and ChooseCherries.com. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Holy yum! And what a great giveaway! Hope I win! :)
Oooh! Pick me. I love everything about this post and what you’re giving away. Also I love cherries!
What a great looking desert! Love the fun cherry themed give away’
I love cherries, I wish they were in season at our local market!
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
That pudding looks amazing, Amy! And I sooooo want to win this! I need new cookware desperately! Thanks for the chance to win. :)
Oh my goodness, this recipe looks amazing! Thanks for the chance to win such an awesome giveaway too!
I’m really excited about this giveaway! All these items would match my kitchen perfectly!
Yummers!! Thanks for the giveaway and the awesome recipe!
The tart cherry bread pudding looks delicouious. I might try it with a few changes to the recipe.
Great recipe! I am a huge fooddie! Going to have to make this soon. And thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Looks delicious! I’m a huge fan of cherries.
Love the giveaway!
Oh this looks sooooo sooo good! YUM! And what a fantastic prize! Whoohoo, hope I win ;) thanks for the chance!
I never used to like bread pudding…but now I’m loving it! Had banana chocolate bread pudding at a restaurant recently (yum!)…now I want to try making this one…sounds delicious!
I adore cherries. I even have a cherry pitter. I also like to reconstitute dried cherries a little bit and put them in muffins with honey
This recipe looks really good. Thanks for having the giveaway!
I love kitchens and cookware and red. And tart cherries of course!
Love this stuff; what a fun giveaway!
Would love this so much! Cherries!!
I love anything you can cook with cherries, and bread pudding is such nice comfort food this time of year. And it’s a great way to use up stale bread lying around!
I shouldn’t be reading food blogs this time of night. I want some now. Right now! Sounds perfect!
Cherries – YUM! And I have a red kitchen so this would be perfect for me!
Looks delicious. Perfect fall food!