BREAD PUDDINGS

I admit it. I’m a sucker for leftovers. For some reason they stir my creative juices, inspiring me to great heights in concocting sterling mixtures that either bomb abysmally and are quickly disposed of, or turn out to be so successful that even I am surprised. Rarely is there any middle ground when it comes to recycling food. It either works or it doesn’t.

Perhaps my interest in leftovers reflects a peculiar love of the familiar, or maybe it’s just that I like foods with comforting flavor. Whichever it is, probably the most irresistible and best of all leftover creations, to me, is bread pudding. When visiting parts of the country where bread puddings are an accepted part of everyday life, I make it a point to let others ooh and ahh over the latest trendy regional culinary offerings while I zero in on these wonderful desserts, both home-style and upscale. I’m always fascinated by the way home cooks as well as professional chefs adeptly handle flavors and textures to produce unforgettable culinary creations.

Thus it was that when attending the Newspaper Food Editors and Writers Assn. conference in New Orleans in October, I gained an unmentionable number of pounds sampling an almost amazing variety of these classic American sweets. None that I tasted were bad. A few were so-so, but the great majority were worth every calorie they added to my frame.

Bread puddings range in style and trendiness from the ultra plain, yet delicious, basic pudding made by Paul Prudhomme’s sister Allie to the borderline silly, yet equally delicious, chocolate-cookie version shared by New Orlean cooking school owner/teacher, Joe Cahn.

All essentially are a means of using up stale baked goods. But there are differences in the types of baked goods used. Where the average household may not have a large variety of leftover cookies, pastries and breads, hotels and restaurants often do. And that sort of excess has inspired a number of creative professional Southern chefs to turn out spectacular versions of this frugal recycling of leftovers.

Bread puddings obviously were developed by cooks left with bread too stale and moistureless to eat in ordinary ways. Too cost conscious to simply toss good food away or to feed it to the livestock, someone somewhere came up with the bright idea of soaking the crusty bread with eggs and milk, adding a few seasonings and baking the result. Thus was a great dessert born. I doubt that some of those early cooks would recognize many of today’s so-called bread puddings for what they are, but unquestionably they would enjoy them just the same.

In this day of preservatives in foods, it often is difficult to get a loaf of bread to stale. Instead it stays defiantly soft to the end. I once tried to get some bread to stale and let it sit out on the counter for six weeks. Watching what happened to it was fascinating. It finally turned completely black . . . but remained so soft to the touch even Mr. Whipple would have been impressed.

So the first rule for making bread pudding is to be sure to start with a bread (or any other baked product) that contains no preservatives. Otherwise, it will maintain a moisture level that will keep it from properly absorbing the milk and egg mixture that turns it into a pudding.

The recipes on Page 1 show the great variation of treatments given this classic old regional dessert today.

Ultimate Recipe

The ultimate basic bread pudding recipe can be found in The Prudhomme Family Cookbook (William Morrow & Co.: $19.95) by renowned New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme and his eleven brothers and sisters. Attributed to Paul’s sister Allie and her husband, Etell Fontenot, this is a recipe that the Prudhomme family had on Sundays and special occasions.

Although Allie Fontenot indicates in the book that such goodies as raisins, nuts and even coconut could be added to the plain pudding to give it more oomph, she admits that she likes it plain. When tested without any additions in The Times test kitchen, her unadulterated version won kudos with all tasters. Some things just don’t need improvement.

The other end of the bread pudding spectrum is the light and airy souffled pudding that is served with a rich, creamy whiskey sauce at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. This makes a spectacular party dessert and is easier to prepare than might be expected as it can be made ahead to some extent and given the final baking while guests are dining.

In between these two are several that are definitely not ordinary. One, from the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, is unusual in that it combines stale French bread with leftover Danish pastries and croissants. The recipe for this slightly sweeter than normal pudding was shared by the hotel’s executive chef, Randy Buck, who serves it warm with an excellent rum sauce.

Ran a Restaurant

Still other bread pudding recipes came from a puckish New Orleans food personality, Joe Cahn. Cahn, who loves creating new foods, for one brief period in his career ran a restaurant on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. New Orleans proved too strong a draw for him, however. He and he and his wife now run the New Orleans School of Cooking and Louisiana General Store in the Jackson Brewery building in the French Quarter.

A man of infinite humor, Cahn contributed a recipe for a bread pudding made with Oreo cookies that will delight any chocolate lover, and another that is flavored with ingredients used in pina coladas. They may sound somewhat bizarre to anyone who thinks bread puddings should be predictable, but they taste wonderful.

ALLIE AND ETELL’S BREAD PUDDING (The Prudhomme Family Cookbook)

1/4 pound unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

7 slices stale white sandwich bread, toasted

Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric mixer and beat on medium speed until mixture is well creamed, about 5 minutes. Add milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cream of tartar and ginger. Beat on low speed until well blended, about 3 minutes.

Break toasted bread into small pieces and arrange in even layer in bottom of ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan. Pour milk mixture over bread and let pan sit for 1 hour, occasionally patting down any bread that floats to top.

Bake at 450 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until top is very well browned and mixture shakes like bowl of jelly when pan is gently shaken. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Note: Raisins, roasted pecans or other nuts or coconut can be added to recipe if desired. JOE CAHN’S OREO BREAD PUDDING-CAKE

2 (1-pound) packages Oreo cookies

10 cups 1-inch pieces stale French bread, about 1/2 loaf

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups sugar

1/2 pound butter or margarine, melted

5 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

2 to 3 cups milk

Separate cookie halves, scrape off filling and set filling aside. Break cookies in small pieces and combine with bread, cream, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and nuts. Blend well. Add enough milk to make a moist pudding. Divide mixture evenly between 2 greased 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees 1 hour or until crust begins to form.

Cool and remove puddings from pans. Spread reserved cookie filling over top of one pudding and top with second. Cut in wedges to serve. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Note: Serve with warm cream, if desired. OMNI ROYAL ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING

3 stale Danish pastries

4 stale croissants

1/4 pound butter or margarine, cut in small pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 pound raisins

10 to 12 slices day old French baguette

1 quart milk

1 1/3 cups sugar

5 eggs

5 egg yolks

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Apricot jelly or jam

Rum Sauce

Break pastries and croissants into small pieces. Toss with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins. Spoon mixture into greased 10-inch cake pan. Fit baguette slices snugly over top of pastries, forming even layer.

Combine milk, sugar, eggs and egg yolks, vanilla and lemon peel in large bowl of electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until mixture is well blended. Pour slowly over bread in pan, pressing lightly to keep bread and pastries from floating. Continue to add custard slowly as bread soaks mixture up. Let mixture stand 30 to 45 minutes until bread mixture is thoroughly moistened. Pour any remaining custard over top.

Place pan in roasting pan or other pan large enough to hold easily. Fill bottom pan with enough hot water to measure half way up sides of pan with pudding. Bake pudding at 350 degrees 1 hour or until pudding is set in center. Cool on rack, turn out of pan and glaze top with apricot jelly or jam. If desired, rewarm slightly before serving. Serve with Rum Sauce. Makes 16 to 20 servings.

Note: Pudding may be inverted so bread slices show before being glazed, if preferred.

Rum Sauce

1/2 pound butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, beaten

1 cup light rum

Melt butter. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Beat in eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in rum, blending well. Strain and serve warm. Makes about 3 cups. COMMANDER’S PALACE BREAD PUDDING SOUFFLE WITH WHISKEY SAUCE

5 eggs

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1/4 pound butter

Dash ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup milk

Dash ground nutmeg

12 (1-inch thick) slices French bread

Souffle Mixture

Whiskey Sauce

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cream, sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, milk and nutmeg. Blend well and pour into 9-inch square cake pan. Arrange bread flat in egg mixture and let stand about 5 minutes to soak up some of the liquid. Push bread down in pan so most of it is covered by mixture. Do not break bread.

Cover cake pan with foil. Place in larger pan in oven and fill bottom pan with enough hot water to come within 1/2 inch of rim of cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 50 minutes, removing foil last 10 minutes of baking period. Custard should be soft, but not firm when done. Let cool to room temperature.

Stir 1/4 of Souffle Mixture into bread mixture to moisten thoroughly. Lightly fold rest of Souffle Mixture into pudding mixture. Spoon 3/4 cup of pudding mixture into each of 4 to 6 greased and lightly sugared 6- to 8-ounce ramekins, mounding mixture like a dome in center. Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes or until souffles are puffed and golden. Serve at once with Whiskey Sauce on side. To serve, with two spoons, break center of dome and pull slightly open. Spoon Whiskey Sauce into center. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Souffle Mixture

8 to 12 egg whites

1 to 1/2 cups sugar

Beat egg whites in bowl of electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar until mixture is stiff but not dry.

Whiskey Sauce

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup milk

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cream and 1/2 cup milk, blending well. Heat to simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Mix remaining 1/2 cup milk with cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Slowly add to simmering cream mixture, whisking constantly. Continue whisking while mixtures cooks slowly 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in whiskey. Makes about 6 servings. JOE CAHN’S PINA COLADA BREAD PUDDING

6 to 8 cups broken pieces stale French bread

2 cups milk

2 cups cream of coconut

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

3 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 cup well drained canned crushed pineapple

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Rum Sauce

Combine bread, milk, cream of coconut, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, pineapple, coconut, pecans, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Blend well and let stand about 10 minutes. Mixture should be moist but not soupy.

Pour into greased 3-quart baking dish and bake on middle oven rack at 350 degrees 1 hour 10 to 15 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve warm with Rum Sauce. Makes about 10 servings.

Rum Sauce

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup light rum

Place butter and sugar in small saucepan over medium heat and, whisking constantly, cook until butter is completely absorbed and mixture is thoroughly blended. Do not allow to boil.

Remove from heat and beat in egg yolks one at time. Place over low heat and gradually stir in rum until mixture is well blended. Makes about 2 cups.

Food Styling by Minnie Bernardino and Donna Deane

Bread puddings range from the ultra plain, yet delicious, basic ones to the yet equally delicious, chocolate-cookie version--all essentially a means of using stale baked goods.