We were in New Orleans to celebrate a very special birthday of our dear friend Leo recently. We were never hungry, as we talked about our next meal as we were finishing up our last bite, and in New Orleans there is no shortage of restaurants we want to eat at.
So, it was Leo’s wife Terry’s goal to order bread pudding at every restaurant we ate in.
Our first bread pudding was in Henderson, La., at Crawfish Town USA for lunch. After a huge platter of steamed crawfish, the bread pudding was served, a large round dollop of it, covered with whisky sauce and very wet.
It was tasty — there were plump raisins — but too wet and didn’t have quite enough cinnamon for us.
At dinner, we had a couple dozen raw oysters at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant in the Hilton at Riverwalk. The bread pudding was cut into a rectangle piece, with a sweet buttery sauce on the bottom of the plate. Flavors were buttery and the cinnamon flavors came through beautifully; the bread pudding stood alone with the sauce just complementing it, not drowning it.
Lunch the next day at Acme Oyster House on Iberville Street in the French Quarter, after oysters and a soft shell crab po’boy was, of course, bread pudding.
It was presented in a bowl, scooped with an ice cream scoop, rounded and immersed in whiskey sauce. Flavors of the nutmeg and cinnamon were well balanced and delicious, although the sauce was dominant.
Dinner was at Mother’s Restaurant of baked ham with three side dishes: red beans and rice, grits and biscuits, Terry ordered their bread pudding. It was scooped, round in shape with a lot of whiskey sauce. It was tasty, but very sweet and the bread pudding was drowning in sauce.
The next day, we spent the afternoon at the National World War II Museum, which is a must see if you are in New Orleans. We ended up eating lunch at the restaurant there. They did not have bread pudding.
While we were there, there was a down pour that flooded the roads. The forecast was for rain again in the evening, so we stayed in and dined at Gordon Biersch restaurant. After dinner, we ordered their warm apple bread pudding. The bread pudding was perfect, not too sweet, with a caramel sauce, crunchy candied pecans (no raisins though) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
So, then I checked online for the recipe and found it.
You are very welcome for me sacrificing and hunting for the best bread pudding. It was hard work and we gained a few pounds researching for the best bread pudding, but worth it just for my readers.
Gordon Biersch Warm Apple Bread Pudding
Serves: 6-8
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is the best)
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (half the loaf) Texas toast, chopped into 1-inch square pieces
Sauteed apples:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Caramel Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
On top:
2 cups shelled whole pecans ( I am sure they were candied pecans as they were very crunchy and sweet, but the recipe does not ask to candy them. When I make them, I will place the pecans in simple sugar, toss to coat completely, then toast them in a low oven, 250-300 degrees for 30 minutes, check to be sure the nuts are crispy and dry)
Ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar
6-8 scoops vanilla ice cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine eggs, egg yolks, 1 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until sugar is dissolved. Mix in milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Pour mixture over cubed bread in another large bowl and gently fold bread until all pieces are moistened. Using your fingers is most effective. Let bread soak for 30 minutes. As bread soaks, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in saute pan. Add the sliced apple, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Saute apples, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until the apples begin to soften. Turn off heat, let apples cool until bread is finished soaking.
Assembling:
Layer half of the bread into bottom of pan (there is no information about the size of pan, but use a pan that will fit all the bread, perhaps a loaf pan) using a slotted spoon or your hands. Top with a layer of half of the apple slices. Repeat with the remaining bread, topping with the remaining apples. Pour remaining liquid mixture over pudding. Bake for 45-60 minutes until the top begins to brown. Remove from oven, cool and when cool enough, cover and refrigerate. It is easier to cut and plate when cold.
Caramel sauce:
Bring all ingredients to a boil, cook for minutes. Remove from heat, cool.
To serve:
Slice bread pudding into six to eight portions. Place on plate, microwave for 45-60 seconds, until warm. Spoon hot caramel sauce over and around bread pudding. Sprinkle handful of pecan around pudding onto caramel sauce. Add dusting of ground cinnamon and powdered sugar around edge of plate. Finish off with scoop of vanilla ice cream. Dust with ground cinnamon.
I hope you like our selection of the best bread pudding we tasted in New Orleans.
Email me at audreywilson 808@gmail.com if you have questions.
