Lemony Blueberry Bread Pudding

newsprint photo

Lemony Blueberry Bread Pudding

Our daily newspaper publishes a Food section on Wednesday. Egg dishes were the feature of this week. My attention was attracted to a photo of two favorites of mine, blueberries and bread pudding. I thought this would be a great brunch recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 large eggs

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

9 cups torn bread with crusts removed

2 cups blueberries, picked over for stems, or frozen blueberries (do not defrost)

Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Quick Blueberry Sauce

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Directions:

Coat a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest. lemon extract, nutmeg, eggs and heavy cream until blended. Add the bread to the bowl, pushing down into the mixture to absorb the liquid. Add the blueberries and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared dish. (At this point, cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the pudding. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm with Quick Blueberry Sauce

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Variation:

To make individual bread puddings, prepare the bread pudding, but scoop into muffin tins or ramekins coated with nonstick spray. Refrigerate 12 hours, sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puffed, golden and cooked through.

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Quick Blueberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cups blueberries

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Directions:

In a 3 quart saucepan over high heat, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice until blended. Add the blueberries and cook until the mixturebegins to thicken and boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

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At this point the sauce can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost in the refrigerator befor serving at room temperature