Practically Orgasmic Pumpkin Bread Pudding

As I mentioned earlier, while we escaped hosting any of the THREE Thanksgiving meals we gorged ourselves at last week, we did volunteer to bring desserts. Lily had been begging forever (literally since September) for a pumpkin pie, but I thought that I'd do something a bit different. As Emeril would say, "kick it up a notch!"

So, BAM!, that's just what I did.

Luckily for me, before I had even had time to crack the spine on my copy of Joy of Cooking, Daily Candy DC delighted me by forwarding along a recipe for pumpkin bread pudding. To continue with my celebrity chef quotes -- YUM-O!!! -- as Rachel Ray would definitely holler.

This one came from the chef at Washington's own 1789 Restaurant. And while my kitchen looked like a small roadside bomb had exploded after I made not one but two of these, it was SO worth it. CRAZY YUMMY!! And something that could as easily be served at a holiday dinner as it was at Thanksgiving. If I make this again, I might consider sneaking in some golden raisins... Sadly I didn't take a picture of it, for which I was chided by my food blogger buddy WhereInDC, but it was as rustically pretty as it was delicious.

Olson’s Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe
Pie is for the birds. Wow Thanksgiving guests with a sinful bread pudding straight from chef Travis Olson’s pastry pantry at 1789 Restaurant. Pumpkin Bread Pudding Serves eight to ten

Ingredients
1 loaf challah bread, with crusts discarded
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg¼ tsp. ground cloves
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 c. granulated sugar
½ cup water
1½ cups pumpkin puree
1 c. light brown sugar
5 eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp. salt
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
   
2. Cut bread into ½-inch cubes.
   
3. Combine the spices in a small bowl and then evenly sprinkle the mixture over the bread cubes.
   
4. Toss the seasoned bread cubes with butter and then spread the cubes on a sheet pan and toast in the oven for about twelve minutes, until just golden.
   
5. Reduce heat to 325° and place an empty two-quart baking dish inside to warm.
   
6. Add the granulated sugar to a small sauce pot. Whisk in about half of a cup of water until it makes a pourable consistency. Boil without stirring until the mixture turns amber, about twelve minutes.
   
7. Remove the warmed dish from the oven and coat the bottom with a thin layer of the caramel mixture. (There may be leftover caramel, which you can save and use as ice cream topping.)
   
8. For the custard, add the pumpkin to a mixing bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients, one at a time in the order listed.
   
9. Add the toasted bread to the baking dish and pour the custard on top. Press down on the bread (yes, with your hands) to help it soak up the custard like a sponge, cover, and let sit up to an hour.
   
10. Return the dish to the oven at 325° and bake until puffy and no liquid appears when pressed, about 45 minutes.
    
11. Enjoy warm with ice cream.
    

Of course, despite the list of ingredients, the finished product is completely fat- and calorie-free. In fact, it's practically a diet food, so go ahead and enjoy that second serving. You know you want to!

My only words of caution -- in the interest of full disclosure -- is to not try to trick any VERY literal four year olds with this bread pudding when they've had their hearts set on pie. So while it kicked the pants off of the traditional dessert, we will be making one of those in the very near future to satisfy my daughter's craving.