Renowned baking authority Prue Leith appreciates the value of using stale pastries in her culinary creations. As a judge on The Great British Baking Show, she incorporates day-old croissants into her “seriously good, luxury version” of bread pudding. Describing the dish as evoking the essence of Christmas with its blend of cinnamon, pears, and caramelized sugar, Leith highlights its inclusion in her latest cookbook, “Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom.”
According to Leith, this decadent dessert is suitable for any occasion but particularly comforting during the winter months and elegant enough for festive gatherings. In a similar vein, celebrity chef Curtis Stone offers his take on a ‘Gourmet’ Citrus Bostock that, as he claims, doesn’t demand “any serious pastry skills.”
Leith suggests utilizing any leftover bread for the dish, noting that richer varieties such as brioche, panettone, and croissant yield superior results. She also recommends experimenting with fruit variations, proposing options like plums, bananas, or apple slices as substitutes for the pears in her signature recipe.
Prue Leith’s Croissant Bread Pudding with Chocolate, Hazelnuts, and Pear calls for ingredients such as unsalted butter, day-old croissants, chocolate-hazelnut spread, a ripe Anjou pear, heavy cream, superfine sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, sea salt, and toasted hazelnuts. The preparation involves greasing a baking dish, halving croissants horizontally, spreading chocolate-hazelnut spread, sandwiching the croissants, arranging them with pear slices in the dish, whisking a cream mixture, pouring it over the croissants, and baking the pudding until golden brown and set.
This delectable creation serves six individuals and requires an active preparation time of 15 minutes, with a total cooking time of about an hour.
For those eager to delve into the specifics of the recipe, the original article is available on People magazine’s platform.
By showcasing Leith’s innovative approach to utilizing day-old croissants and infusing her bread pudding with a harmonious blend of flavors, the culinary world is enriched with new possibilities. This culinary journey not only invites readers to experiment with incorporating various fruits and bread types but also emphasizes the art of transforming humble ingredients into exquisite dishes that evoke warmth and indulgence.
