Nancy's Peach Bread Pudding
Our friend, Nancy Hyde, shared this wonderful dessert with us
- 6 tbls unsalted butter, melted and clarified
- 12 slices fine-textured white bread or brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 6 large ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- ¼ cup amaretto liqueur
- 4 whole eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (essence)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (essence)
- Preheat an oven to 300ºF
- In a large frying pan, warm 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add half of the bread cubes and fry, stirring, until golden on all sides, 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with 3 more tablespoons butter and the remaining bread cubes.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream until small bubbles appear at the edge of the pan. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the peaches and amaretto and toss to mix.
- In another bowl, combine the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar and, using a whisk, beat until frothy.
- Whisk about ½ cup of the hot cream into the egg mixture, then gradually whisk in the remaining cream. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract6s. To remove any lumps, pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pitcher or bowl.
- Combine the peaches and bread cubes in a 3-quart shallow rectangular or oval baking dish. Mix to distribute evenly.Slowly pour in the custard, being careful not to disturb the peach mixture. Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan and pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides if the dish. Bake until the custard is just set, about 1 ½ hours; it should still be slightly wobbly in the center.
- Let cool on a wire rack.