Apple Bread Pudding with Calvados Sauce

May 18, 10:07 AMLA Baking ExaminerHilary Cable

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The classic baking apple is Granny Smith.

It’s still a little too early for summer’s locally-grown fruits, so I decided to write about a dessert that’s near and to my family’s heart, and uses a fruit that is still plentiful in the markets. 

My grandmother made the best bread pudding I have ever had, and like a lot of women of her generation, she kept her recipe in her head. Hers had raisins, sweet spices and stale bread.

This Apple Bread Pudding with Calvados Sauce is flavored with fresh apples, the French apple brandy Calvados, and just a hint of nutmeg. The baguette, crust and all, has more texture than the plain white sandwich loaves Lorena relied on. 

Apple Bread Pudding with Calvados Sauce comes from the “New York Times Dessert Book,” first edition, 2006, which is edited by Florence Fabricant. ISBN 0-312-34060-5. The recipe was contributed by Florence Fabricant. 

Ingredients

For the bread pudding:  

6 tbsp. unsalted butter plus extra to butter the pan

3 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced ½-inch thick

½ cup granulated white sugar

¼ cup Calvados 

3 ½ cups torn baguette, ½-inch pieces

2 cups half and half

½ vanilla bean, split

3 large eggs, beaten

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

 A tea kettle of simmering water for the pan

For the Calvados sauce: 

1 ½ cups fresh apple cider

½ cup granulated white sugar

1 ½ tsp. cornstarch

¼ cup Calvados 

Method 

For the bread pudding: 

Preheat oven to 325°

Butter a 6-8 cup souffle dish or other baking dish and set aside. 

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add apples and saute about 5 minutes until they start to brown. 

Add 3 tbsp. sugar. Saute a minute or two until sugar starts to caramelize. Transfer the apples to a bowl and set aside. 

Add ¼ cup of the Calvados to the pan. 

Melt 4 tbsp. of the butter in the pan with Calvados. Add the bread and toss to coat with the butter mixture. 

Place half the apples in the buttered baking dish, top with half the buttered bread. Repeat. 

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and set aside. 

Place the half and half in a saucepan. Add the split vanilla bean. Scald the half and half, and then remove from the heat. Add ½ cup sugar and dissolve in the hot half and half. 

Whisk the hot half and half mixture into the beaten eggs. Strain the egg mixture directly into the baking pan over the eggs and apples. Dust with nutmeg. 

Place the baking dish on a kitchen towel in a roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour the simmering water into the roasting pan. 

Bake 40 minutes until set. Carefully remove the pan to a flat, heat-proof surface, and then remove the bread pudding to a wire rack and cool until warm. There may still be hot water in the roasting pan. Use caution. 

For the Calvados sauce: 

In a large saucepan, bring the cider to a rolling boil and allow to reduce by half. 

In a small bowl, sift the other ½ cup of sugar and the cornstarch. 

Whisk the sugar mixture into the reduced cider. Simmer until thickened, usually less than a minute.

Add the remaining ¼ cup of Calvados and stir. Remove from the heat. Serve warm on the bread pudding. 

Cook’s notes: 

The classic baking apple is Granny Smith, but you'll probably like a sweeter apple such as Fuji in this dish.

You can always find fresh apple cider at Trader Joe’s. 

Scalding the half and half means you want to bring it almost to a boil while stirring constantly. Then take it off the heat. Use a good-quality heavy-bottomed pan. 

The water bath is a technique you’ll often see used with delicate egg-rich desserts. In Mexico it is called baño de Maria, and it is used to make perfect flan. The moisture helps insulate the eggs from the drying effects of oven heat and keep them soft and tender. 

More information: 

Here’s a whole page of bread pudding recipes at About.com’s About Southern Food page. How about individual chocolate bread puddings? 

Here’s a terrific article about scalding milk. 

Starting Thursday: Three days of savory baking.