In Praise of Pumpkin Bread Pudding

What a year for desserts. The “ink” is barely dry on my flowery homage to the crackly caramel apple millefeuille tart at Les Moutardiers in Avignon, France, when, BAM, I fall totally in love with a bread pudding to beat all bread puddings.

That would be pastry chef Jojo Rossi’s Pumpkin Bread Pudding at Whisknladle in La Jolla. Named to Conde Nast Traveller’s “Hot List Tables” for 2008, Whisknladle is a captivating place, known for its inventive cuisine and stylish open-air dining room.

One evening last week, my husband, son and I had trouble choosing just one of the menu’s desserts to share. The competition was stiff: Jojo’s Cookie Plate, an assortment of three housebaked cookies; Gianduja Pots de Crème with whipped cream and “brutti ma buoni” cookies; Country Apple Tart; and the winner, Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

We were the winners, actually. The pudding was a marvel of cream and egg yolks and fresh pumpkin puree, spiced with the traditional holiday mix. But what sets this pudding apart is the addition of meringue -- beaten egg whites with sugar -- which gives it a voluminous texture and voluptuous mouthfeel. Crunchy pecan streusel and an orb of deliriously creamy butter rum ice cream completes the pretty picture.

Chef Rossi agreed to share her recipe, which is ideal for the Thanksgiving Day table.

WHISKNLADLE'S PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

1 loaf sandwich bread (Chef Rossi uses Bread & Cie’s Pullman Loaf)

Butter & Sugar for Pan
Raw sugar for sprinkling on top of bread pudding
For Custard:
2 cups Milk
2 cups Cream
1 cup Butter melted & cooled to room temp
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
8 Egg Yolks
2 cups Fresh Pumpkin Puree
1 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg freshly grated
½ tsp Ginger ground
¼ tsp Clove ground
¼ tsp Allspice ground
¼ tsp Cardamom ground
For Meringue:
4 Egg Whites
2 Tbs sugar
½ tsp Salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325
Butter and sugar 8 Ramekins or 1 9x13 square baking pan
Cut bottom and side crusts off of bread and cut bread in to 1 inch pieces.  Toast on a sheet pan until golden brown.
Prepare custard:
Whisk together milk, cream, melted butter, brown sugar, yolks, pumpkin and spices.
Remove bread from oven and transfer to a mixing bowl while still hot. Pour custard over hot bread and allow mixture to soak for 15 minutes
Prepare Meringue:
Whip egg whites and salt until foamy.  Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.  When whites begin to climb up the sides of the bowl gradually add remaining sugar until medium peaks form.
Gently fold meringue into pumpkin and bread mixture making sure not to fully incorporate.
Bake in a water bath covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with raw sugar.  Continue baking until bread puddings are cooked though and tops are toasted about 12 minutes more.

Rossi suggests topping the pudding with a basic flour-sugar-oats-butter streusel. She bakes the streusel first, then crumbles it atop the pudding just before serving. Serve with whipped cream flavored with cinnamon and rum, or specialty ice cream such as Haagen Dazs, McConnell's or Marble Slab.