This past weekend my three oldest girls had a potluck social for their Legion of Mary group. We brought a Coconut Cream Bread Pudding. My mother found this recipe on FoodNetwork.com. She used it for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit. She had left over ingredients from the holiday that she was wonderful enough to use to create an entire "kit" for the girls and I. She brought over a paper bag containing everything we'd need to make the dessert, including the baking dish and eggs. I thought I'd pass along this delicious recipe to you. From my mother's kitchen, to my kitchen, to yours!
Coconut Cream Bread Pudding
Ingredients
- Butter for dish
- 1 (16 to 20-inch loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 (13 1/2-ounce) cans unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can cream of coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Pinch mace
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, plus 1/2 cup, toasted for garnish
Directions
Lightly butter the bottom of a 9-inch square flameproof baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes evenly in the dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, whole eggs, coconut milk, cream of coconut, salt, nutmeg, and mace. Stir in 1 cup of the coconut flakes. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, pressing the bread cubes gently to soak up the custard. Let the mixture stand for 1 hour, covered, in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Sprinkle the top of the pudding with the remaining 1/2 cup coconut flakes. Cover the baking dish with foil, poking a few holes in the top to release the steam. Put the baking dish into a roasting pan on the oven rack. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until the pudding is firm to the touch, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove the baking dish from the water bath and run it under the broiler, at least 4 inches from the heat, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. --Word of warning: keep an eye on it during this step! I set the timer, but was preoccupied with one of my little ones and the entire top of my pudding burned. Luckily, I was able to scrape off the top, reapply more coconut, and try again--under a watchful eye. No harm done! --Let the pudding cool completely. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
The recipe instructs you how to make a Chocolate Velvet Sauce, which my mother made for Thanksgiving. However, we discovered with the leftovers that Hershey's Chocolate Syrup works just as well and tastes just as great--without all the effort. Add the chocolate sauce before serving.
A great time was had by all. After some prayers and plenty of food to eat, we learned some new moves and danced the afternoon away!
Just watching was fun too!
... we ended the afternoon with a nap.