When Jodi Elliott was growing up, Thanksgiving pies were a given. “My grandmother probably made five or six—chocolate cream, pecan, pumpkin, coconut cream, buttermilk,” she says. But what sets her stomach rumbling today is the memory of her grandmother’s Thanksgiving Day breakfast—pumpkin bread, slathered with honey butter. Her pumpkin bread pudding is a decadent riff on that morning staple, tarted up with a cranberry caramel sauce and maple-soaked whipped cream. “I love bread pudding, especially in the fall,” Elliott says. “There’s something so cozy and comforting about a warm dessert when it’s a little chilly outside.” And, fittingly, it makes a damn fine morning-after indulgence.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Maple Whipped Cream
Yield: Serves 9–12
Maple Spiced Nuts
3 cups pecan halves
3 tbsp. maple syrup
3 tbsp. corn syrup
3 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp. Jodi's Spice Mix (recipe below)
Jodi's Spice Mix
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne
Maple Whipped Cream
2 cups cream
1/4 cup maple syrup
Cranberry Caramel Sauce
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup cranberry juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pudding
1/2 vanilla bean
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
3 eggs
2 cups cream
1 cup milk
1 1/2 15-oz. cans pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch each of cloves, allspice, and nutmeg
1 large loaf of brioche, challah, or soft-crusted white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tbsp. turbinado sugar
Preparation
- For the nuts (Make Ahead): Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and coat with nonstick spray (or brush lightly with oil).
- Mix everything together and spread it out on the baking sheet. Bake for 12–14 minutes, until golden brown, stirring halfway through. Cool thoroughly, then store in a covered container for up to a week.
- For the spice mix (Make Ahead): Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake well. This mix has a long shelf life and is great to have on hand for cocktail nuts and popcorn as well.
- For the whipped cream: Using an electric mixer, whip cream on low until it begins to thicken. Add maple syrup, and whip on medium until soft peaks form.
- For the sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil. Cook without stirring, watching closely, until it turns a dark amber color, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the caramel from heat, and slowly add cranberries and juice. (The caramel will spit and spatter, so be careful.) Stir well, return pan to heat, and bring caramel back to a boil for 5 minutes, until the cranberries have all popped. Remove from heat, and stir in salt and vanilla.
- Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes, then blitz in the blender until thoroughly combined. This sauce may be served warm or at room temperature.
- For the pudding: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish (9-by-9-by-3-inch or 13-by-9-by-2-inch), or 12 4-ounce ramekins.
- Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds into a mixing bowl. Whisk seeds, sugar, yolks, and eggs to combine.
- In a small saucepan, heat cream and milk until small bubbles form at the edges of the pan, about 3–4 minutes. Slowly whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree with the vanilla, salt, and spices, then add in the egg and milk mixture.
- Press the bread into the serving dish(es). Pour the pumpkin egg mixture over the bread slowly, pressing bread down gently to soak up the custard. Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown and puffed up. Serve with maple whipped cream, cranberry caramel sauce, and maple spiced nuts.
Recipe from Jodi Elliot of Foreign & Domestic in Austin, Texas