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Thursday 31 May 2007

Rescue Mission: Choc Bread Pudding

When I was planning what to make for a dinner party a couple of days ago, the failed mocha panettone turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The party was sort of an impromptu occasion due to a friend's leaving Australia the next day. While wanting to make something special, I couldn't spend all day in the kitchen on a week night. So I needed quick and easy recipes that still provided an aah&ooh factor. Looking at the big brown loaf of panettone on the dining table, I remembered having seen a recipe for chocolate bread pudding at Anna's Morsels&Musings - this way I would be able to get rid of the bread in the most delicious way!

Luckily, all my dinner guests agreed that this reasoning had been right: The chocolate bread pudding was very chocolatey and moist, but not soggy. The lightly whipped cream and the warm berry sauce gave the dessert a little lightness (not calorie wise, though). The only changes I made to the recipe were substituting dark rum for the Pedro Ximenez Sherry (though I'd love to try that one!) and adding some more milk, another egg, and some cocoa as I was suspecting that I used more bread than Anna. Not to forget the half-hearted try to get rid of some calories by using a mix of milk, evaporated milk, and cream instead of cream only - well, I admittedly had to empty some open jars...
The next day, suprisingly, the leftovers served cold alongside vanilla yogurt and some berry sauce tasted even better.

If you're looking for a fuss-free main course, this parmesan-crusted chicken will fit the bill perfectly. All it requires is a quick brush with a mustard mixture (I was pretty generous with the mustard but it was still not overly noticable - next time, I'd use even more), coating it in grated parmesan and up it goes for a good 15 minutes into the preheated oven. The chicken was very juicy and flavourful with some nice crisp from the cheese. Serve it with baked potatoes and you'll be able to enjoy the evening while the oven does most of the job.

11 comments:

Mia said...

Oh my, but that chocolate bread pudding looks tempting. VERY tempting. Something to tuck away for a rainy day... I've never made or even had bread pudding before!

Janet said...

Hi Eva, That looks great. Funny... I posted a chocolate bread pudding today too! :-) The Parmesan Chicken is something I'd like to try.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Eva, I think this is perfect - I love the way you used your panettone! The berry syrup sounds delicious as well.

I've made parmesan chicken once and it was so good. What a great suggestion for a dinner party!

Nora B. said...

Wow, Eva! The choc bread pudding looks and sounds delicious. You rescued the panettone very successfully! And the oven baked chicken sounds yummy too. I tend not to bake chicken breast because I'm afraid that it will become dry, but since you've tried it and it turned out nice & juicy, i should try it too.

Eva said...

Deinin - That's definitely something worth trying! Whilst I've been enjoying the chocolatey version very much, the smell of a freshly baked apple-cinnamon bread pudding is pure temptation!

Janet - What a coincidence, I'll have to check out your version!

Patricia - Thank you! This was by far the easiest dinner party ever...;-)

Nora - I was a little bit worried, too, that the chicken could dry out. However, I reckon that it was the cheese coating which didn't let the juices get out. I thought that it was even juicier than a pan-fried chicken breast.

Freya said...

What a great way to utilise what you thought was a disaster, making it into something much, much better!!

Eva said...

Yes, that's what I like about baking - even if your cake doesn't turn out the way you wanted, there'll be always the chance to turn it into bread pudding or a trifle!

Helene said...

Looks like a great rescue to me!Gorgeous composition of your picture.

Eva said...

Helen - I really appreciate such a nice compliment, thanks a lot!

Anna (Morsels and Musings) said...

eva, your photos capture the deliciousness of our pudding much better than mine! i'll have to set a link over to your version to show people just how yummy it can be!!!

i used pedro ximenez sherry because that's what i had in the cupboard, but the original recipe used dark rum so you were right on the money.

love the addition of cherries too. sublime work.

Eva said...

Thanks, Anna, I'm very flattered! Your recipe proved to be so good - I'm almost tempted to bake another terrible panettone just to have it once more...;-)