Block Island is 12 miles off the coast of Rhode Island on the Northeastern Seaboard. The Naragansett Indians were the first inhabitants of the island and called it Manisses, which is translated to “Island of the Little God.” In 1614, a Dutch explorer sailed to the island and renamed it after himself. European settlers came to the island in 1661. Today, Block Island is a vacation retreat. This 3 by 7 mile island has 17 miles of beaches, 32 miles of hiking trails, 2 lighthouses and loads of restaurants & specialty shops.

Eric and I spent a long weekend on Block Island recently. The massive summer crowds were gone and we enjoyed hiking, biking, the beaches & the lighthouses. We stayed at a lovely bed & breakfast that had awesome scones & inventive egg dishes both mornings we were there. Our last night there, we went to Winfield’s for dinner. My swordfish and Eric’s mushroom ravioli were both superb, but the pièce de résistence was the Apricot Bread Pudding. The hostess at Winfield’s that evening, Martha, made the bread pudding. She owned a bakery on the island for 30 years. On our way out of the restaurant, we complimented Martha on the dessert and I asked her for the recipe. Turns out, she uses a recipe from Chez Panisse Cafe in California. It is a little involved to execute but definitely worth the results!

Apricot Bread Pudding  (adapted from Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook by Alice Waters)

Yield: 8 servings  Prep Time: 25 minutes  Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried apricots, sliced, or 8 fresh apricots, cut in small wedges
• 1-1/4 cups sugar

• Pudding:
• 7 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups cream
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 4 ounces good-quality almond paste, cut in pea-size pieces
• 1 pound day-old bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Poach the fruit until tender, about 12 minutes for dried, 5 minutes for fresh. Drain the fruit, saving the liquid, and set the fruit aside to cool. Return the poaching liquid to the saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Boil this mixture.

When it begins to brown, swirl the pan so that it caramelizes evenly. Cook to a medium amber color. Very carefully pour the hot caramel into a greased 2-quart casserole dish or divide it evenly among 6 greased, small ramekins. Allow the caramelized apricot juice to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly add 1/3 cup of sugar and mix well. Whisk in the milk and the cream. Add the orange zest, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, nutmeg and kirsch. Gently fold in the poached apricots, the almond paste and the bread cubes.

Transfer the pudding mixture to the casserole dish or ramekins. Let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 °. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pudding. Place the gratin dish or ramekins on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake until nicely browned, about 55 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a touch of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.

This was my first attempt at a bread pudding. It worked so well, I’m going to have to try out some more!    ~Linda

Apricot Bread Pudding  (adapted from Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook by Alice Waters)

Yield: 8 servings  Prep Time: 25 minutes  Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried apricots, sliced, or 8 fresh apricots, cut in small wedges
• 1-1/4 cups sugar

 

• Pudding:
• 7 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups cream
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 4 ounces good-quality almond paste, cut in pea-size pieces
• 1 pound day-old bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 5 cups)

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Poach the fruit until tender, about 12 minutes for dried, 5 minutes for fresh. Drain the fruit, saving the liquid, and set the fruit aside to cool. Return the poaching liquid to the saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Boil this mixture.

When it begins to brown, swirl the pan so that it caramelizes evenly. Cook to a medium amber color. Very carefully pour the hot caramel into a greased 2-quart casserole dish or divide it evenly among 6 greased, small ramekins. Allow the caramelized apricot juice to cool.

Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly add 1/3 cup of sugar and mix well. Whisk in the milk and the cream. Add the orange zest, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, nutmeg and kirsch. Gently fold in the poached apricots, the almond paste and the bread cubes.

Transfer the pudding mixture to the casserole dish or ramekins. Let rest at least 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate it overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 °. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pudding. Place the gratin dish or ramekins on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake until nicely browned, about 55 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a touch of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.