If bread pudding is one of your favorite desserts, you are in good company. Juanita Sisco and Jan Kraft, your lost recipes have been replaced in abundance.
First, there is the classic bread pudding made with raisins and topped with either vanilla or whiskey sauce. Then there is cranberry bread pudding prepared with cranberry sauce, chopped walnuts, orange juice and grated orange rind.
Next comes Rebecca San Pedro's recipe for custard bread pudding and pineapple bread pudding, with instant vanilla pudding mix, crushed pineapple, coconut and raisins among the ingredients.
If bread pudding is popular in your family, file this column away for many pleasant endings for future meals.
For: Juanita Sisco of Tampa and Jan Kraft of Largo.
From: Bob Dietz of Bayonet Point.
Recipe: Bread Pudding with vanilla or whiskey sauce, from The Southern Living Cookbook.
Bread Pudding
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
11/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
23/4 cups whipping cream
4 to 5 cups cubed French bread
3/4 cup raisins
Vanilla sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Dash of ground nutmeg
1 large egg
2 tablespoons butter
11/4 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Whiskey sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To make bread pudding: Combine first four ingredients; stir in butter and whipping cream. Gently stir in bread and raisins. Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart souffle or deep baking dish. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, shielding with foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let pudding stand 10 minutes before serving warm with vanilla or whiskey sauce. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
To make vanilla sauce: Whisk first seven ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 11/4 cups.
To make whiskey sauce: Combine first three ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Combine cornstarch and water in separate bowl; add to butter mixture. Add bourbon and vanilla to mixture and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring; cook for 1 minute. Makes 23/4 cups.
From: Wilma Lynch of Largo and Nova Scotia.
Recipe: Cranberry Bread Pudding.
Cranberry Bread Pudding
1 cup orange juice
1 cup milk
1 cup cranberry sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
5 cups bread cubes, 3/4-inch thick
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly beat eggs. Stir in juice, milk, cranberry sauce, sugar, nuts, orange rind, vanilla and spices. Mix together well.
Stir in bread cubes until coated. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to ungreased 11/2-quart casserole. Bake for 45 minutes or until set and golden brown.
From: Rebecca San Pedro of Tampa.
Recipe: Custard Bread Pudding.
Custard Bread Pudding
6 cups milk
5 slices firm bread
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat milk. Toast bread, and cut into squares. Beat eggs with vanilla. Whisk milk into eggs. Add salt, sugar and nutmeg.
Arrange bread in 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish. Pour melted butter over bread. Pour egg/milk mixture over this. Set baking dish in a pan filled with hot water. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Makes 12 servings.
From: Ann Gonder of Port Richey.
Recipe: Pineapple Bread Pudding.
Pineapple Bread Pudding
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 4-serving package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups milk
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in its juice
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 slices day-old white bread, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large mixer bowl, cream together butter or margarine, vanilla pudding mix and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In another bowl, combine milk, undrained pineapple, coconut, raisins and vanilla. By hand, blend milk mixture into creamed mixture (mixture will look curdled). Fold in bread cubes.
Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole or 8-inch square baking dish. Place casserole or baking dish in large shallow pan on oven rack. Pour hot water into larger pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 11/4 hours for casserole, 1 hour for baking dish, or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Serves 8. Recipe requests
A recipe that has been popular for a number of years has been lost by two readers. Sandy May of Tampa and Rose Marie Inghilleri of Spring Hill have misplaced their recipes for better than sex cake, a delicious dessert with an interesting name.
Anita Hamrock of Clearwater is looking for the recipe for Christmas jewels. It is a jellied confection cooked in two pots. Liquid pectin (Certo), corn syrup (Karo) and baking soda are among the ingredients, as are flavorings and food coloring. After the candy jells, it is cut into varied small shapes and rolled in granulated sugar.
Crescent caramel swirl begins with refrigerated crescent dinner rolls and is baked in a
Bundt pan.
Carmela Corem of New Port Richey needs the recipe for this 1976 Pillsbury Bake
Off winner.
Yum yum sauce or goodie goodie sauce is served at Japanese steak houses. Helen Sommerfeld of Lutz writes that the sauce is delicious, even to children, and she would like to know how to prepare it.
Helen also needs a recipe for apricot pie. The recipe was on a package of dried apricots years ago. The apricots are cooked and put in the pie crust and baked.
-- You Asked for It is a reader mail column. If you have a cooking question or the answer to someone else's question, write to: You Asked for It, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Be sure to include your full name, city and phone number with your letter. Letters without this information will be discarded. Requests cannot be answered by phone or mail.
