Maybe with the colder weather and all, I will get back into the kitchen.  Really, I feel like I’ve been neglecting that part of the house.   I do whip up some Hello Fresh meals and meals inspired from our farm bags, but I really haven’t been too inspired lately.

We recently went to our local food hub, Mother Road Market in Tulsa.  It’s been in existence for some time, but we made our first visit last month for a Yelp Elite Perk.  While I was picking up our free food at Doctor Kustom,  The Hubs wandered to the next stall to pick up some bakery items.  He came away with cookies and a baguette.  We ate the cookies promptly (and, btw, the Brazilian food from Doctor Kustom was beyond words) but we didn’t open the bread for a few days.  When we did decide to have a slice, it was rock hard.  Now, when I say rock hard, I mean it.  I literally was able to whack it on the cabinet.

Nothing else to do but make bread pudding.   My mom makes some of the best bread pudding around and growing up, she always served it with a lemon-butter sauce.  Yum!   But, besides the rock hard baguette bat, I also had a few Granny Smith apples that needed used.  I googled apple bread pudding and came up with a few hits.   I landed on this one and just adapted it a bit.  Ironically, this is from an old Top Chef episode.  It’s ironic because I was recently inspired by the Great British Baking Show to whip up some roasted grape focaccia  inspired by an episode from the current season.

Apple and Walnut Bread Pudding

Based on Apple Bread Pudding

Fall comfort dessert.

Ingredients

• large stale baguette, broken into small chunks (about 1 1/2″)(about 8 cups)
• 5 T. butter, divided
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 1 c. sugar, divided
• 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 c. brandy
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 t. pure vanilla
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 T. of the butter.  Add the apples and 1/4 cup of the sugar to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon. Remove from the heat and add the brandy. Return the skillet to the heat and cook until the sauce is syrupy, about 1 minute.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and the vanilla.   Add the bread cubes and toss until evenly coated. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the liquid.  Stir in the apples and the walnuts.
4. Melt the remaining three tablespoons of butter in the microwave (30 seconds or less).   Brush an 8-by-11-inch baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add the bread pudding and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden.
5. Eat on its own or with ice cream.

Yield: 8-12

I added the walnuts to this mix and I have to say, it was a genius move.  I also subbed in the almond milk.  I think it worked well.  Bread pudding is not one of those dishes that is photogenic, but trust me.  This stuff was really good.  We had it for dessert with a bit of salted caramel ice cream and I have to confess that I ate some for breakfast as well.  In fact, this would make a great brunch dish for the holidays.

What seasonal desserts are you making right now?