{ White Chocolate Bread Pudding }

This past Sunday, the 24th, was my boyfriend Eli's birthday. 

I knew that a very special dessert was needed to celebrate this occasion...and he's not the biggest fan of a cake {strange, I know.} 

So my thoughts went immediately to this White Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe from Nordstrom's Cafe Bistro. It's unlike any bread pudding I've ever had before, honestly. Crisp on the edges, warm and silky on the inside - sitting in a pool of white chocolate & cream. It's perfection on a plate.

{And it would make an impressive dessert for Labor Day, in case you're looking for one!}

Before digging into this amazing recipe I wanted to share one of my favorite photos of Eli & I at Vasquez Rocks, for your reference. And also a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean from our birthday drive down Mulholland Highway - he's a serious car guy.

{Makes a pretty extravagant birthday cake, huh?}

Ok here we go! Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper. This will make it so much easier to lift out the bread pudding once it’s baked.

Next, add the heavy cream, milk, and sugar to a deep saucepan on medium heat. The goal here is to dissolve the sugar and to heat the mixture enough that it can melt the chocolate. Once it’s hot enough to do those two things, remove it from the heat and stir in the white chocolate until it’s melted. Set this creamy mixture aside to cool.

While that’s cooling, grab a large bowl and whisk the eggs, egg yolks, & vanilla until they’re combined. 

The next step can be a bit tricky, but as long as you’ve cooled the white chocolate & cream mixture enough, you’ll be fine. 

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the cooled cream into the egg mixture and whisk as you go. This will warm the eggs without scrambling them. Once the eggs are up to temperature, add them into the pan with the cream and whisk until everything is combined. 

{It should look a bit more yellow now!}

Next, slice your day old French bread into ½ inch slices and lay down enough of them to cover the bottom of your loaf pan. 

Pour about a cup of the cream mixture on top of those slices, and wait a minute or two until the cream is absorbed. Repeat this step until you’ve used all the bread & cream and have filled the loaf pan to the top. {If needed, you can cut up some of the bread into smaller pieces in order to fill in gaps between the larger slices.} Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil & pop it in the oven to cook for 1 hour. {Be sure to place the loaf pan on top of a baking sheet as it cooks in case the mixture bubbles over.}

After 1 hour, remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake the bread pudding for 30 minutes, until the center is no longer wet and the top of the bread pudding is puffed up and golden brown. Let it cool completely, cover it, and pop it in the fridge until it’s cold - or overnight. 

{It’s probably easier to make this the day before you serve it!}

While the bread pudding cools, get started on both of the sauces. 

{Don’t worry, they’re super easy to whip up!} 

For the white chocolate sauce, heat up the cream until warm enough to melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate until melted – that’s it.

For the raspberry sauce, combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan on medium heat. Add in the orange zest and simmer until it becomes syrupy {about 3-4 mins}. 

Turn the heat to low and add in the raspberries. Stir until the berries fall apart and then remove from the heat. Once cooled slightly, pour the mixture through a sieve in order to remove the seeds.

{If you’re serving the bread pudding a day later, you can make these sauces in advanced too and just refrigerate them till you’re ready to serve!}

The final step is just baking off each individual slice of bread pudding, before serving, in order to get those delicious & buttery crisp edges that perfectly compliment a warm and soft center. 

{Sooo delicious!} 

Slice the loaf of bread pudding into individual triangles, place them on a baking sheet, and coat each side with a bit of melted butter. Bake them at 400 F until they brown up and become crisp - about 10-15 minutes.

{Make sure to flip them over halfway through so each side crisps up.}

Serve each slice in a pool of the white chocolate sauce & add decorative dots of the raspberry sauce to the plate. 

If you want to get real fancy, top with white chocolate shards & garnish with a few fresh raspberries, mint, and a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

{Side note: The bread pudding freezes well, so if you're not going to use it all within about 3-4 days, place the slices into a ziplock freezer bag and freeze them until you're ready to eat!}

Finally, enjoy!!! {I know you will.}

~INGREDIENTS~

Makes 10 servings

For the bread pudding...

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups white chocolate

3 whole eggs

6 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 loaf day old French bread {24-inch}

2 tbsp. butter {for baking off individual slices}

For the raspberry sauce...

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. orange zest

1 cup fresh {or frozen} raspberries

For the white chocolate sauce...

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup white chocolate

Garnish with fresh raspberries, 

white chocolate shards, 

fresh whipped cream, 

& mint {if desired.}

{ Recipe adapted via Nordstom's Cafe Bistro }

enjoy*