Bread Pudding Variations

That's Caramel Bread Pudding you're looking at in this photo.  But I'm also going to give you a variation for a lower fat version.  For the complete recipe for bread pudding, you'll need to see the prior post on bread pudding.

How to make the caramel:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

1/4 cup additional water

Place the sugar, 1/3 cup water and the vinegar in a stainless steel pot (if you use a dark or nonstick pot, you  won't be able to tell when the caramel is the right color).  Heat the mixture on medium to medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.  Brush down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pot with a brush dipped in water.  Increase the temperature to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil.

(You don't need to use a pot this large - but it's the only stainless steel one that I own).
Once the mixture starts to boil, DO NOT STIR!  Swirl the pot, occasionally, so that no spot cooks before another, and cook until the mixture turns golden brown.

Tip the pan away from you, so you don't get burned, and pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of water.  It will bubble up and steam furiously.  Stir until the caramel is smooth.

Pour the mixture into the baking pan ( I prefer not to use glass, because I am always wary about pouring such hot liquid into glass, even if it is Pyrex).

Let the caramel cool briefly and then set it in the refrigerator or freezer until it's hard (15 mnutes if frozen and up to 1 hour if refrigerated).

Make the bread pudding as in the last post, or using the lowfat directions below.  You can eat the pudding 1 hour after it is made and the caramel will be syrupy and the pudding soft, or you can refrigerate it for at least 6 hours.  At that point the caramel will be a bit gooey and the pudding firmer (as in the photo above)  After 2 days in the refrigerator, you'll have both some gooey caramel, some melted caramel sauce and a firm pudding  - my favorite.  You can heat it slightly or serve it cold. 

Lower fat Bread Pudding with Lowfat Custard Sauce
9 ounces challah, eggy white bread or lowfat Italian bread (I've used Arnold's)
1/3 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2-1/4 cups 2% milk (using skim or 1% results in a very soft-set pudding)

Make the pudding according to the directions in the post on Raisin Bread Pudding
Lowfat Custard Sauce
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 powdered cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 cups 1% lowfat milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 large vanilla bean, split in half, lengthwise
1 tablespoon rum or other liqueur, optional

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, powdered sugar and cornstarch.
Place the milk, granulated sugar, vanilla bean and rum in a medium pot.  Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Little by little, whisk the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, adding more and more as the eggs get warmed. 

Pour the mixture back into the pot.  Heat on medium, stirring contantly, until the mixture comes to a simmer.  Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute.  Pour the mixture into a container.  Scrape the vanilla seeds into the custard and discard the pod.  Let it cool briefly, and then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

Bumbleberry Cobbler

It's really hard being a dessert writer on a diet!!! Especially in the summer, when the produce beckons... and so another lowered fat recipe gets born! And when you're dieting, you sure don't want to spend hours in the kitchen working on that lowfat recipe, when you should be out jogging or playing golf - to work off the calories you are about to put into your mouth. It's back to the farmer's market to see what they have that would work well in my mixed berry (mostly) cobbler. I've loved the peaches and nectarines from Fruit Bat Produce. You can see Elaine's lovely peaches with the fruit pandowdy recipe (http://amazingdessertrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/07/summer-fruit-pandowdy.html) or the Magic Cobbler recipe (http://amazingdessertrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/08/magic-peach-cobbler.html), but today I'm just going to buy some of her beautiful, green, mountain apples. I think they'll work nicely to provide some texture to this berry dessert.
Here you can see Elaine, from Fruit Bat Produce, with her wonderful apples, apple butter, figs and barely visible, her peaches. She's at the Meeting Street Farmer's Market near Ballantyne, Charlotte, NC.

One of the problems with cooking berries (especially acidic strawberries and raspberries) is that cornstarch doesn't work that well to thicken it. Flour can get gummy, and tapioca isn't widely used or available. To help combat this, I've added more cornstarch, but also a little hot water which will dissolve the cornstarch and get it cooking faster. The cobbler needs to come to a boil so that the cornstarch can thicken. The pectin in the apple will also help a little to thicken the cobbler. But this is a runny cobbler - no doubt about that!! Because the cobbler has so little fat in it, I've used cake flour, which will help keep it tender, and I'm also making a very soft dough, which will rise higher, make it lighter and also more tender. Although light on fat, it's still got a lot of calories, so if dieting is your aim, eat less of the sauce and have only as a special treat!

1 pound strawberries -- washed, hulled and sliced
6 ounces raspberries – washed
1 pint blueberries – washed
1 apple -- peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar

1/4 cup hot water

Cobbler Batter
1-1/2 cups (150 grams) sifted cake flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon transfat-free shortening (Crisco not butter-flavored), cold or frozen
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold

3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup (32 grams) bleached flour, measured by fluffing, scooping and leveling
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 teaspoon sugar
Preheat the oven to 425°F., with an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Have ready a decorative 2-quart casserole dish.
Combine all of the fruit, cornstarch and sugar in the casserole dish, and stir to combine. Let macerate while you make the cobbler topping. Just before placing the biscuits onto the fruit. stir in the hot water.

To make the cobbler batter, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knifes, cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Use your fingers to break up any lingering lumps.

In another bowl, mix together the buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk, while stirring with a fork and to make a mixture that looks like cottage cheese.

Place a thick sprinkling of the bleached flour on a plate. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up a ball of dough and place it on the floured plate. Sprinkle the top liberally with some of the flour.

Flour your hands, pick up a dough ball, and rock it side to side in your hands to both coat it with flour, and knock off any excess. Gently transfer it to the top of the fruit. Flatten it slightly. Continue shaping and placing the biscuits until the whole top is covered.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cobbler from the oven and lightly brush the top of the biscuits with some of the skim milk, using just enough to moisten the tops and brush away any residual flour. Sprinkle lightly with the sugar. Return the cobbler to the oven and cook another 5-10 minutes until the biscuits are crisp and dry and the juices are bubbling up. The juices must be bubbling or the cornstarch will not thicken the berries and the filling will be too runny. Remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Eat the cobbler while still warm. The cobbler can be made 1 day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F. for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes until the filling is warm and the top is firm.
Per Serving: 319 Calories; 4g Fat (10.9% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 69g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 298mg Sodium.

Summer Fruit Pandowdy

It’s peach season in North Carolina, where I live, and nothing is better than a sweet/tart Carolina peach. I’m trying to lose some weight now after packing it on during our engagement party, but I can’t resist the fabulous fruit that’s now in season. When company comes, I like to use that bounty in a pastry of some kind, but most pastry is very caloric and detrimental to a diet. So, I trotted out my book, Light Jewish Holiday Desserts to see what I could make that wouldn’t be disastrous. This pandowdy looks higher in fat than it actually is, because about 1/4 of the dough is “waste”. It’s in the recipe so that you don’t have to sweat getting it to roll and fit the pan, making for a more relaxing baking session. It does have a fair number of calories (about 200) but a good serving size has only 5 grams of fat and is 4 Weight Watchers® points. Eaten with a scoop of Breyer’s™ fat-free ice cream, it’s almost 300 calories and 5 points – not your everyday dessert, but it won’t break your diet either, and it’s worth every single calorie and point!! If you prefer a more finished look than the homey look of a pandowdy, don’t push the dough down into the juices.

Reduced Fat Pecan Pastry
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (74 grams) sifted cake flour
2/3 cup (86 grams) all-purpose flour, measured by fluffing, scooping and levelling
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup pecans, toasted for 3 minutes until aromatic and cooled
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 tablespoons shortening, cold
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons egg or egg substitute, cold

Filling
10 medium peaches, ripe but firm
Fruitfresh™ or 2 lemons
1 medium apple, preferably Rome or a summer apple
1 pint (2 cups) blueberries, washed
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
1 large mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 - 1-1/4 cups sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375° F, with a rack in the middle of the oven. Have ready a 9x13-inch Pyrex baking pan. Fill a medium pot with 3-inches of water and set it on the stove to come to a boil. Next to the stove, set a large bowl of ice water. Add 1 tablespoon of Fruit Fresh™ or lemon juice to the water. This will keep the peaches from turning brown, but won't add that much acidy to the fruit.

For the pastry:
Combine the flours, salt, sugar and the nuts in a food processor, and pulse-process until the nuts are finely ground. Cut the butter and shortening into 1/2-inch chunks and place on top of the flour. Pulse-process until the fats look like lentils or rice, about 10 three-second pulses. (Alternatively, you can cut the fats into the flour with a pastry blender).

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In another bowl, mix together the vanilla, vinegar and egg substitute. Pour half into the flour mixture, and mix with a fork until completely moistened.

Add the remaining egg mixture, as needed, pressing the dough with your hands, until it forms a dry, but cohesive ball.

Shape into a flattened ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 2 peaches in the simmering water for 30 seconds.

Remove them and put them in the ice water.

Set 2 more peaches in the simmering water and while they are heating, make a slit at the bottom of the peach to release the skin, and then use a paring knife to take the skin off of the peach. Dip the pealed peach into the ice/citrus water and then set it aside. Repeat until all of the peaches have been peeled.

Slice the peaches into 1/2-inch slices and then cut them in half widthwise. Place in the bowl of ice/citrus water and then drain completely and dump the peaches into a large bowl. Peel, core and dice the apple into 1/4-inch chunks. Mix it into the peaches. Add in the blueberries, strawberries and mango. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch. Turn the mixture into the Pyrex dish.

Cut open all except one long end of a jumbo ziptop bag.

Set the Pyrex dish on the bag, and mark the size of the pan on the outside of the plastic. Flour the inside of the bag. Place the dough inside, and roll it almost as big as the bag, flipping the dough over, several times during the rolling process, lifting the plastic and generously sprinkling the dough with flour.

Cut the dough to about the same size as the pan (there will be quite a bit of excess), and then cut this into 12 rectangles. Set the dough rectangles on top of the fruit (the whole top will be covered with dough - photo below is just to show fruit).

Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Set a cookie sheet under the oven rack you’ll use for baking. Set the pandowdy in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Push the rectangles down into the juices using a pancake turner (spatula).

Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the crust re-surfaces, and is crisp. Cool for 30 to 45 minutes before eating. Can be made a couple of hours ahead of time (before serving, re-heat in a 350 degree oven to warm the fruit and crisp up the topping).

Lower-fat Tres Leches Cake for VGABS - the recipe

I'm thrilled to be a participant in the first Virtual Great American Bake Sale (VGABS) featuring ebook compilations of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. Thank you to Kate Miller of http://www.stolenmomentscooking.com/ for organizing this incredible fundraiser.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of these ebooks will go toward Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale program. Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale are donated to after-school and summer feeding programs--food programs that many kids depend on when school is not in session. Great American Bake Sale is a program of Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.The ebooks are a compilation of recipes from submitters across the blogosphere and beyond. The ebooks are available for purchase based on any donation amount of the buyer's choosing. For all of the details on the sale of these ebooks, please see my previous post at: http:/amazingdessertrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/lower-fat-tres-leches-cake-for-vgabs.html.

Tres Leches Cake is a homey dessert, usually served directly from a decorative baking dish. I wanted a more elegant presentation, to serve at a golf event and then at the engagement party of our dear friends' children, Melissa and Travis Klingberg so, I unmolded the cake and then iced it all around. It was elegant, super moist and very, very rich. For this reason I thought it would be worth a try to develop a lower fat version - one that would be equally satisfying but less caloric. The first low-fat version, pictured above, was made during a private class for Katie Hicks and her daughters, who won me at an auction to benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure™. I liked the lower fat version so much that it has become my standard Tres Leches Cake, and almost all who try it actually prefer it. My recipe has never been in print before, and I'm proud to offer it for yet another very important non-profit organization, Share Our Strength. What could be more important than supporting those who strive to eradicate childhood hunger.

Milk Spongecake
2 cups (200grams) sifted cake flour
1-3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

6 large eggs, separated (room temp)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1-1/3 cups sugar+2 tablespoons, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup skim milk, room temperature

Milk Syrup
14-ounce can (1-1/4 cups) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
2-1/2 cups fat-free half and half ( do NOT use fat-free evaporated milk!)
1/4 cup heavy cream

Low-fat Whipped Cream ( or regular whipped cream or whipped topping can be used)
2 large pasteurized egg whites, room temperature (directions for using regular eggs follow)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 packet Dr. Oetker™ Whipit stabilizer (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. with a shelf in the middle of the oven. Grease the bottom of a 9x12-inch baking pan (do not use nonstick). Place parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, only if you plan to unmold the cake.

In a small bowl, sift or stir together the cake flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the egg yolks, 1-1/3 cups sugar and the vanilla, on medium speed, until a ribbon forms, about 2-4 minutes.

Slowly beat in the skim milk. Add the flour a little at a time, beating on low speed until well blended.

In a clean, greaseless bowl with clean, greaseless beaters (use the balloon whisk beater, if you have one), beat the egg whites until very foamy. Add the cream of tartar and the remaining sugar (1 tablespoon), and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. The eggs should still slip a little in the bowl if you tilt it. Stir 2 cups of whites into the batter, and then fold in the remainder. Pour the batter into the pan.

Bake 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean, lowering the heat to 325 if the top starts to overbrown. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and then let it cool completely, in the pan. The top will have formed a wrinkly and fairly loose brown skin.

The skin should be loose enough to lift off. If not, use a knife to scrape it off of the rest of the cake. This will expose the soft and holey interior that will readily accept the milk syrup.

For the milk syrup, combine the sweetened condensed milk, fat-free cream and heavy cream in a measuring cup or pitcher. The amount of syrup to use is a matter of personal taste. If you use all of the syrup, the cake will have maximum saturation and some of the syrup will remain in the pan. The cake will be heavy with moisture (it's yummy this way, but not everyone's favorite). If you use 3 to 3-1/2 cups of the syrup, the cake will be lighter, but will also be drier. You'll have to try it and see which you prefer. If any syrup is not used, it can be reserved for sauce. Cover the cake with foil and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours.

For the topping, you can use whipped cream with some powdered sugar and vanilla whipped in (obviously this is a higher fat choice) or to make the lower fat whippped cream, place the pasteurized egg whites in a clean, greaseless mixer bowl and beat the egg whites until foamy throughout. Add the sugar and cream of tartar and beat until they are very stiff.

If using regular egg whites, fill the bottom of a double boiler with 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high. Place the egg whites in a greasefree metal bowl (preferably with a handle). The top of the double boiler can be used, but it is not ideal because egg can get stuck on the interior ledge and may overcook. Using a wire whisk, gradually whisk the sugar, 2 teaspoons water and cream of tartar into the egg whites. Holding excess cord taut, place the bowl over the boiling water and beat with a portable electric mixer on medium speed for 3 MINUTES. Increase the speed to high, and continue to beat for 4 MINUTES. The timing is important, because salmonella bacteria will be killed if cooked at 140 degrees F. (it takes about 3 minutes to get the eggs up to 140oF). Keep the beaters moving constantly around the bowl so that the egg does not overcook.

Remove the bowl from the heat and beat the egg whites until they are very stiff and cool, about 10 minutes. You can speed things up by wrapping ice cubes in a towel and placing them under the bowl so that the bowl is nestled in the cold towel

To continue with the recipe, in another medium bowl, beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and stabilizer together until the mixture just forms firm peaks (don't overbeat). Fold in the beaten egg whites (meringue).

Spread or pipe the mixture over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve and then cut the cake into squares.

SERVING AND STORAGE
This cake is so moist that it will keep for several days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

TIPS
When separating eggs, make sure that NO yolk gets into the whites, or they won't whip properly. Clean bowls and beaters thoroughly, and then wipe them down with vinegar to further get rid of any grease. Separate each egg into a container and then if all has gone well, transfer the yolk and whites to their respective bowls.
Dr. Oetker Whipit is optional. It allows you to make the cake ahead of time without the cream "weeping". Find it in the baking section of the grocery store.

VARIATION
For a more formal presentation, like the cake in the opening photo, you can unmold the soaked cake and then pipe the whipped cream all over it. To unmold, place a piece of waxed paper over the cake and then a cookie sheet or board. Invert the two together so that the cake is now upside down and out of the pan.

Re-invert the cake, either onto a cake board (if you want to decorate the cake and then move it to the serving platter) or directly onto the serving platter. If inverting onto a serving platter directly, you will need to protect the platter from getting messy as you frost the cake.

To do this, place strips of waxed paper on the outer inch of the cake perimeter. Now place the platter on top of the cake.











Invert the whole thing and you'll be ready to decorate.



After the cake is decorated, slide the waxed paper out from under the cake.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING YOUR DONATION TO VGABS.

To donate, see my post for details: http://amazingdessertrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/lower-fat-tres-leches-cake-for-vgabs.html


or http//stolenmomentscooking.com/welcome-to-the-virtual-great-american-bake-sale/

CARROT PINEAPPLE BUNDT CAKE LIGHTENED

I adore carrot cake but it has so many calories and so much fat, that when I started working on Light Jewish Holiday Desserts, I knew it would have to have a place in the Rosh Hashanah section where carrots are an important ingredient. I worked that recipe to death and came up with a wonderful, light version of carrot cake, but one that needed to be made a day ahead for best flavor. Having become less concerned about fat over the years, I thought I might alter the recipe to have a little more fat, but still less than a traditional carrot bundt. I made the cake, poured on a light cream cheese glaze and set the cake in the refrigerator to serve for my birthday, later that evening. When we returned from dinner I took the cake from the refrigerator to let it soften for 15 minutes and then served it to my guests. It was so disappointing. The texture and flavor were not what I was looking for. I put it back in the refrigerator to mellow for another day. Low and behold! Just like the very low fat version, this cake with double the amount of fat, also needed a day to mellow, and on the second-fourth days it got better and better. You can choose which version you prefer. Each version makes a dense, chunky cake, with a texture quite different from layered carrot cake (coming another day…). Without the glaze, this version has 1/10 the fat in a standard carrot layered cake, and the one with more fat has 3/4 the fat.

MUST BE MADE 1 DAY AHEAD
Makes 16 to 20 servings

1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed

1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour, lightly sprinkled into a measuring cup *
2/3 cup (70 grams) sifted cake flour, lightly sprinkled into a measuring cup*
1- 3/4 cups (210 grams) whole wheat pastry flour, lightly sprinkled into a measuring cup*
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, or combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons water
2 cups firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature
8-ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1-1/2 pounds carrots
Powdered sugar (optional)

Cream Cheese Glaze, optional (see recipe )
or powdered sugar

* you must measure the flour this way or you will end up with too much flour. For example, 1 cup of all-purpose flour measured using fluff, scoop and level, will have 130 grams - a little more than 1 tablespoon of flour more.

Preheat the oven to 325°F, with a rack in the middle of the oven.
Spray-grease and flour a 12-cup fluted tube (Bundt) pan.


Grate the carrots, using the food processor grating disk, or a box grater.


If using the processor, pulse-process the grated carrots with the metal blade until they are finely chopped, like the left side of the picture above. Measure out 3 cups of carrots, and discard any extra.

Sift together all three flours, spices, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the raisins and nuts. Set aside.

Place the oil, water, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed. Beat in the egg until well blended. On low, beat in the pineapple with its juice, and the carrots.
On low, or by hand, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. The batter will be fairly thick.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with no moist crumbs attached. Remove the cake to a rack and cool completely. Loosen the edges of the bundt (I like to use a wooden coffee-stirrer as it won't scratch my nonstick pans).

Invert the cake onto a serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. If glazing with the Cream Cheese glaze, you'll need to set the cake onto a rack over a pan (see directions with glaze).

Variation: If you'd like a slightly moister cake or one without whole wheat, use 3-1/3 cups (433 grams) all-purpose flour (lightly spooned into measuring cups). Increase the oil to 1/2 cup , delete the water and add another 1 or 2 eggs.

The cake must be made at least 1 day ahead, but can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature. May also be frozen for up to 3 months.