Wednesday, August 27, 2008

'OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING' ~ SUMMER BREAD PUDDING with WARM BERRY SAUCE

"The morn is up again,

the dewy morn,

With breath all incense,

and with cheek all bloom,

Laughing the clouds away with playful scorn,

And living as if earth contained no tomb,--

And glowing into day."

~ Lord Byron


~ Morning sky and August flowers
(Turtlehead, Rose of Sharon, Japanese astilbe, Ivy Geranium)

~ Coneflower and sky
________
SUMMER BREAD PUDDING with WARM BERRY SAUCE
~ Delightful treat laden with plump berries, perfect for a summer day (from Pamela Morgan's Flavors)
______
soft butter for baking dish

3 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups half & half

1 cup whipping dream

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. minced orange zest

1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

8 cups (1-inch cubes) crustless day-old brad

1 12 cups quartered hulled fresh strawberries

1 1/2 cups blackberries

Confectioners' sugar

WARM BERRY SAUCE

  • Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325-degrees. Lightly butter a 2 1/2 quart ovenproof serving dish abut 4 inches deep.
  • Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in sugar then half & half and cream. Whisk in orange juice, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Scatter half the bread cubes over bottom of prepared dish. Scatter half the strawberries and half the blackberries over the bread cubes. Scatter remaining bread cubes over berries. Scatter remaining berries over bread cubes. Pour egg mixture over the bread cubes and berries. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto surface of pudding. Weight is with 2-3 small ramekins or saucers so bread is completely immersed in egg mixture. Let stand 10 minutes.
  • Remove weights and plastic wrap. Set pudding in oven and bake until top is lightly browned and custard is set but not firm when dish is jiggles, 50-60 minutes. Let pudding rest for at least 10 minutes.
  • Sift confectioners' sugar onto pudding and serve hot or warm, accompanied by the berry sauce. (6-8 servings)
WARM BERRY SAUCE
1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 cup fresh strawberries

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

(May use frozen berries)

  • Combine berries in small nonreactive saucepan with sugar and lemon juice. (If using frozen berries, let stand until thawed).
  • Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring 2-3 minutes or until juicy. (Can be prepared several hours ahead. Rewarm gently over low heat before serving)

~ Coneflower in clouds

~ Rose of Sharon in clouds

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I really enjoy this set of pictures - dreamy and late summery
Regards
Karen

Rose said...

I love the way you superimpose photos, Joey. The coneflower with the sky is my favorite--I would hang a print of this in my living room!
I have to tell you, though, that your title caught my eye on my blogroll and I came here before reading anyone else's post because of the bread pudding. Bread pudding is one of my all-time favorites! I've never had it with berries, but this sounds delicious. I am going to copy this recipe before I read any other blogs:)

Catherine said...

Joey~your morning sky & August flowers are beautiful,&beautifully captured! The bread pudding sounds so good, and the warm berry sauce sounds like it would be scrumptious on lots of things!
I love the coneflower & sky!:)
Big Big Hugs!!
Cat

Anonymous said...

WOW. These are all very nice works you have completed and posted. I am amazed at them.

Abe Lincoln

beckie said...

Like Rose, I saw the 'bread pudding' and came directly here. Can't wait to make this! You have such a creative talent with photos, I am in awe of their beauty. Thank you for such a delightful post.

Jane O' said...

I really love bread pudding. When I saw the title of your blog, my heart skipped a beat and my fingers couldn't work fast enough. This recipe is a must try!!!

joey said...

Thank you, Karen, that's exactly what I had in mind.

You are most kind, Rose. It was a fun post. (I love the warm rich custard in bread pudding)

Thanks Cat. I know how you love the sky and thought of you, wondering if you also had camera in hand.

I'm a big fan of yours, Abe, and honored by your visit and kind words. Thank you. (Loved your last daisy post)

Thanks Beckie. I so enjoy what I do. Are you and Rose going to share the bread pudding?

Anonymous said...

I get a kick out of seeing that Abraham Lincoln visits your Village. Now how cool is that?

I try my hardest to see how you were thinking when you do these very thoughtful post and recipes. I read the poem, look at the pictures, and then drool over the goodies. And sometimes, the music playing on my Pandora Box is perfect just like now.

The music is a violin/flute soft edition of Way Down South in Dixie. I can see the mist come over the fields and the Autmn chill weighing it heavily and keeping it low to the ground. The kind of day where you can see your breath, your cheeks are pink, and you are feeling a glorious moment.

Just like the faces on your flowers, they hush a tint of pink from the foggy crisp morning.

joey said...

Anna, you are so sweet. Abraham is a gentle soul and fabulous photographer. Music feads my soul also ... (when cooking and entertaining, my iPod feeds my mood and, hopefully, those around me.)

Jane Marie ... what more can I say! We both love flowers and food :)