Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing Bread Pudding with Sausage, Apples, + Caramelized Leeks

Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing Bread Pudding with Sausage, Apples, + Buttered Leeks

Do y'all absolutely hate me?? I'm guessing that's the case... and I sincerely apologize. Blah blah blah, I know. I've been missing from the count and I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. That means blogging... regularly. So you probably have sooooo many questions--mainly why have I been MIA. Well, with the launch of my Etsy store, Haute + Heirloom, I have been slam-damn-packed. LIKE SERIOUSLY Y'ALL. If you haven't gotten the chance to check the store out, then please head over. I'm excited to announce that it has taken off and been uber-popular :) Yay, go me!! But today, I'm back... with a way-overdue recipe from Thanksgiving. I know, it's shameful, though it's far too delish not to share. This would be the perfect substitute for stuffing at your Christmas dinner table, so it's totally relevant. To get started, it's a play off of the popular holiday dish, but slightly different, because it is transformed into a savory bread pudding. Savory bread pudding is relatively new to the scene, mainly due to the fact that we all associate bread pudding as a sweet recipe. But y'all, don't fear it--embrace it!! It's my jam. Really. And to only make the situation better, the stuffing/bread pudding is loaded with cornbread, buttered leeks, sausage, caramelized apples, wine, fresh herbs, and a creamy custard. All of the components are soaked and baked until the middle is soft and smooth, but crusty and cooked throughout. I love the texture so much here. Sometimes stuffing/dressing can be far too dry or far too wet, this is substantial yet pillowy. You know what though, it's even better the next day!! Yes, it's very true... I love to slice up some of it, toss it in a french toast batter, and then fry it until golden brown & crispy. A french toasted-bread pudding-stuffing cake... OMG, melt in yo mouth. So, c'mon y'all, you gotta try this stuff, especially because I'm posting a recipe for the most killer Thanksgiving Club sandwich tomorrow. Don't wet your pants in excitement!! Enjoy :)

sliced up + ready to be french toasted :)

crispy fried sage

Oh just the most ridiculous Thanksgiving Club Sandwich

see dem layers??

You're gonna wanna piece of dat.

For the Thanksgiving Cornbread Straffing:

4C Stale Cornbread, Cut into 1-inch Cubes

4C Stale French Bread, Cut into 1-inch Cubes

2C Stale Crusty & Chewy Italian Loaf, Cut into 1-inch Cubes

1C Leeks, Cut into ½-inch Thick Slices (white & light green parts only)

2T Unsalted Butter

1T Olive Oil

1lb Ground Sausage (regular, spicy, or sage flavored sausage can be used)

2 Chicken & Apple Sausage Links, Cut into Small Cubes

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

1 Large Vidalia Onion, Chopped

2 Ribs of Celery, Chopped

2 Granny Smith Apples, Diced (you can leave the skin on or peel it off)

2T Maple Syrup

5 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1C White Wine

2T Fresh Sage, Minced

2t Fresh Rosemary & Fresh Thyme, Minced

1T Fresh Parsley, Minced

¼t Turmeric, White Pepper, & Paprika

5 Large Eggs

2C Chicken Stock (depending on how moist you liked your stuffing, you could add 1C more)

1 ½C Heavy Cream

1C Whole Milk 

Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with Pam. Set it aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cubed cornbread, French bread, and Italian bread.

3. For the Caramelized Leeks: Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the leeks into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until the leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the 2T butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the caramelized leeks into the bowl of cubed bread.

4. In a deep sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the ground sausage, making sure to break it up into small pieces and brown it well until completely cooked through. Remove the crumbled sausage by straining it from the fat in the pan, onto a paper towel to cool (making sure to leave the rendered fat behind to sauté the vegetables). Melt the stick of butter in the same pan and add in the chopped onions, celery, and apples, seasoning with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent or caramelized. Drizzle the maple syrup over the sautéed vegetables and toss in the minced garlic. Continue to cook, over medium heat, until the garlic softens slightly and becomes fragrant. Carefully pour in the wine, add the herbs and seasonings, and cook to reduce the liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Pour this mixture into a bowl, along with the cooked sausage and bread.

5. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the eggs with the stock, heavy cream, and milk. Place the tossed, cubed bread into the prepared baking dish, making sure it’s an even layer and that each bread is mixed throughout. Distribute the vegetable-sausage mixture over the bread cubes, tossing well. Pour the liquid mixture over the bread (tossing a little to mix it well). Sprinkle the top with a little salt and pepper, if needed. Let the bread pudding soak for at least 3 hours, but can be soaked overnight and baked the next day.

6. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, and then remove the foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until the dressing is cooked through and the top is crispy. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Brown Butter-Brown Sugar-Bourbon Bread Pudding with Salty Butterscotch Sauce & Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze

Brown Butter-Brown Sugar-Bourbon Bread Pudding with Salty Butterscotch Sauce
+ Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze

SOOOOOOOOO I'm backkkkkkkk. Yippee (does anyone actually say that anymore?). Okay, so let's get onto the recipe. One of my favorite recent desserts to date. I hate traditional bread pudding. SOGGY BREAD? Ew. Canned fruit cocktail... Get'outta'here. But, this... this, my friend, is a Southern girl's dream. This is layered with buttery brioche and chewy & crusty french baguette, and then covered in a custard made with brown butter, brown sugar, bourbon, eggs, cream, milk, and vanilla. The layering process is key. First start with stale or slightly hardened bread, cube it up, air it out... just let it all hang out. The next day, you have to layer. I did this by making an even layer of brioche bread, stuffed in the middle was the torn baguette bread. Press those chaotic guys in tightly and do another layer of brioche bread to pack it all in again. This will make perfectly cut cubes, superb for serving!! Soak the bad b*tch, long + had, until it's ooey-gooey. After that, you bake it until golden brown, but super moist and melty-yummy. The sauces are optional, but I feel they are a requirement. We made a Salty Butterscotch Sauce and a Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze to douse the bread pudding squares... ya know to soak them even more. And if you wanna go into early hypertension, do this whole 'thang a la mode with a scoop of brown butter ice cream!! Enjoy :)

For the Bread Pudding:

1lb Brioche Bread, Trimmed of Crusts & Cut into Squares (sandwich-like slices)

½lb French Baguette, Torn or Cut into 2inch Pieces

1 ½C Dark Brown Sugar

2 Sticks of Melted, Brown Butter (make sure it has cooled, so it won’t curdle the eggs)

5 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten

4C Half & Half

1C Whole Milk

¼C High Quality Bourbon

3T Vanilla Extract

¼t Cinnamon (scant)

1t Sea Salt

For the Salty Butterscotch Sauce:

4T Unsalted Butter, Melted

½C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

½C Heavy Cream

½t Sea Salt

1 ½t Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling (or any high quality flaky salt)

  

For the Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze:

4T Unsalted Butter, Melted

2T Bourbon

1C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

½C Heavy Cream

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Prepping the Bread: Cut the loaf or loaves of Brioche bread into thick, sandwich-like slices. Trim the slices of all of their crusts and make sure they are straight edged squares or rectangles. There is no exact measurement for these bread squares; I just cut them, so that I could lay them in a flat layer on the bottom of the baking dish (only use a half pound of the brioche bread, save the other half of the pound for repeating this process for the top layer). In reference to the baguette bread, either tear them into rustic pieces or cut them into roughly 2inch cubes. Let the bread sit for a few hours so that they can become somewhat stale or lightly toast them in the oven to dry them out some. By doing this, the bread pudding will soak up more of the custard, but also retain the texture and shape of the bread without becoming completely mushy while cooking.

2. Layering the Bread: There will be three layers of bread: a flat bottom layer of brioche, a middle layer of cubed or torn baguette bread, and a final top layer of brioche (exactly like the bottom layer).  So, to begin, spray a large square dish or 13x9-inch baking pan with Pam. Layer a half-pound of brioche bread slices in the bottom of the prepared pan. This layer should be flat and even, while also covering every inch of the pan (you will have to cut some of the larger slices of bread into smaller squares and fit them into the open spaces, squeezing them in like a puzzle). Top the bottom brioche layer with the pieces of baguette bread, making sure they are evenly distributed, but completely packed into the pan. At this time, set the bread meant for the top layer aside because we want to soak the bottom layers some with the custard to ensure even soaking.

3. Making the Custard: In a large mixing, bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and brown butter until a loose, wet sand is formed. Add in the lightly beaten eggs and whisk again until the eggs have blended into the sugar. Pour in all of the liquid… the half & half, milk, bourbon, and vanilla extract, and beat until the custard is creamy and smooth. Lastly, season with salt.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Finishing the Bread Pudding: Pour half of the custard mixture over the two layers of bread, making sure to lightly press the bread with your hands, so that they absorb all of the liquid. Next, place the other half-pound of brioche bread slices on top of the custard-soaked bread layers by repeating the same process of laying them flatly on top of the baguette pieces (just do exactly what you did for the bottom layer). Gradually pour the remaining custard mixture over the top brioche layer. Once again, press the bread with your hands to help them equally soak up all of the liquid. Spray the top of the soaked bread with some Pam to prevent sticking. Cover the entire baking dish with plastic wrap, and then cover with aluminum foil. Place the bread pudding pan into a larger roasting pan and pour in hot water halfway up the sides (this creates a water bath and ensures perfectly moist bread pudding).

6. Baking the Bread Pudding: Bake the bread pudding (covered) for an hour.  After an hour of baking, remove the aluminum foil and plastic wrap and bake another 15-20 minutes. Remove the bread pudding from the oven and use a knife to loosen the edges. Invert the bread pudding onto another buttered baking sheet and return it to the oven to bake a final 15-20 minutes. This will ensure that both sides of the bread pudding are golden brown in color and perfectly crisped. Let the bread pudding sit on a cooling rack, so that it can firm up and set properly. In the meantime, make the salty butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean-bourbon glaze.

7. For the Salty Butterscotch Sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream, and salt. Whisk until blended and bring it to a very gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour the sauce into a bowl and sprinkle the top with vanilla bean fleur de sel. Keep warm until you are ready to drizzle it over the bread pudding.

8. For the Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, and then whisk in the melted butter and bourbon, stirring until combined. Mix in the heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds, and a pinch of salt until a creamy glaze has been formed. Set aside until you are ready to drizzle it over the bread pudding.

9. Serving the Bread Pudding: Cut a large square of the warm bread pudding and place it onto a serving plate. Drizzle the top of the square with the salty butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean-bourbon glaze (and as for concerning leftovers, place a serving of cold bread pudding in a bowl, douse it in some of the salty butterscotch sauce, and reheat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute; this will ensure that it is extra soft and moist in texture). If you want to make it extra decadent, pile on a scoop of homemade brown butter or vanilla bean ice cream to make it a la mode.

extra drizzled

A la Mode with Brown Butter Ice Cream... the only way to do this. 

Thanksgiving Leftovers Tartine with French Toasted Dressing Cake, Roasted Turkey Soaked in Gravy, Brussel Sprouts Hash, Boozy Cranberry Sauce, & Crumbled Goat Cheese

Thanksgiving Leftovers Tartine with French Toasted Dressing Cake, Roasted Turkey
Soaked in Gravy, Brussel Sprouts Hash, Boozy Cranberry Sauce, & Crumbled Goat Cheese

I'm back with a bang y'all, I promise... I swear... Cross my heart and hope to die, yada yada yada. I decided to take a mini-break since I haven't been feeling well (and I'm still not unfortunately). And because I don't feel well, I barely eat... literally. So, I haven't been cooking, which means I have nothing to post, it's absolutely depressing. But Thanksgiving has come & gone, and I finally will be able to share some of my goodies with you :) I actually pulled off a full Thanksgiving on my own this year, with the help of Peej of course, but I practically had a hand in each and every dish. Some of the recipes I plan on posting are my "Bread Pudding" Dressing with Cornbread, Sausage, & Apples, Silky Pumpkin Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue, Crack Pie, and maybe a Crème Bruleed Buttermilk Pie (if I can find a slice, it might be all gobbled up by now). I will tell y'all that I am obsessed with my recipe for my Bread Pudding-Dressing. Like a in love with it-wanna marry it-kinda way. It has chunks of cornbread, French bread, and Italian bread, which is studded with spicy sausage, sauteed vegetables, and apples, then it is soaked in a batter of eggs, heavy cream, milk, and chicken stock. The dressing gets perfectly crispy and toasted on top, but still remains amazingly moist down below. We had little leftover, so I just knew it would be amazing in a french toast adaption, and that's exactly how my "Thanksgiving Leftover Tartine" was born. A tartine is a french, open-faced sandwich, so I knew it would the perfect dish. The next day, I cut the cold bread pudding-dressing into squares, and then dipped them in a grated parmesan-chive batter and fried them up until they were golden brown & crispy. I topped 'em with some warm gravy-soaked turkey, a brussel sprouts hash, crumbled goat cheese, and a drizzle of boozy cranberry sauce. I know, your mouths should be watering by now, and so is mine. I'm hopin' I still have enough leftovers that I can make another one of these bad boys tomorrow. Oh, I realize that y'all won't have access to my dressing recipe, but I promise it'll be the first thing I put up this week!! Enjoy :)

All the yummy layers...

Y'all see that crispy dressing cake, don't ya?? 

Beautiful Brussel Sprouts Hash

For the French Toasted Dressing Cake:

3 Eggs

¾C Heavy Cream

½t Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

¼C Fresh Chives, Minced

¼C Parmesan, Freshly Grated

4 Squares of Thanksgiving “Bread Pudding” Dressing

For the Brussel Sprout Hash:

15 Brussel Sprouts, Shaved Thinly

4 Slices of Thick Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Small Cubes

¼C Sweet Onion, Finely Diced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

¼C Apple Cider Vinegar

2-3T Maple Syrup

1T Grainy Mustard

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Thanksgiving Leftovers Tartine:

Prepared French Toast Batter

4 Squares of Thanksgiving “Bread Pudding” Dressing

Unsalted Butter or Vegetable Oil, For Frying

4 Servings of Pulled Turkey Meat Tossed in Gravy

Warmed Brussel Sprouts Hash

Leftover Cranberry Sauce, Warmed & Thinned Out with a Splash of Bourbon

Crumbled Goat Cheese, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the French Toasted Dressing Cake: Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and chives. Dip the squares of Thanksgiving “Bread Pudding” Dressing into the batter, making sure they are completely coated. Soak the slices for 1-2 minutes (the dressing should still be quite moist, so it won’t take long), making sure to flip the squares over so that all sides have been thoroughly coated. Melt some butter or oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter sizzles, add the soaked bread slices and cook until golden brown & crispy, about 3-5 minutes on each side, flipping once. Transfer the cooked pieces of bread to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve.
2. For the Brussel Sprouts Hash: In a medium sauté pan, over medium-high heat, fry the small cubes of bacon, along with a bunch of fresh cracked pepper, until crispy. Strain the bacon into a small bowl. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add the minced onions and garlic, cook for 5 minutes or until they have softened and begun to caramelize slightly. Once they have cooked through, add in the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and grainy mustard. Whisk to combine. Let this reduce for just a minute or so and then add in the crispy bacon. Bring the heat back up to medium-high and toss in the shredded brussel sprouts. Sauté the sprouts, tossing to coat them in the reduction, bacon, and sautéed vegetables. Only cook them a couple minutes, you want them to soften slightly, but still retain an al dente texture. Immediately spoon the hash on top of your assembled tartine stacks.
3. Assembling the Tartines: Place a crispy dressing cake onto a serving plate. Top the cake with warmed gravy-soaked turkey, a large spoonful of brussel sprouts hash, and a generous drizzling of your boozy cranberry sauce. Garnish the top with some crumbled goat cheese. Enjoy immediately!

Crème Brulee Bread Pudding

Crème Brulee Bread Pudding

I can't honestly think of another dessert that "screams" fancy to me other than Crème Brulee. Every time we go to a nice restaurant, I always want it to finish of the night. Maybe it's because I've never made it before or I'm too lazy to do it... mainly it's because I never had a kitchen torch. But now that I do, I have turned into a total pyro, and I just want to light everything on fire. Especially sugar. So, when we were deciding on what to have for dessert, my Mountain Man immediately said Crème Brulee, and I agreed quickly. How could I put a comfort food twist on it? BREAD PUDDING. What's more comforting than that? I cubed up some bread and soaked it in a vanilla bean custard. After it is baked, top it with some sugar and put the torch to it until you get that crispy, crackly topping that will all know and love. And you gotta serve it with a sauce, so we made a homemade creme anglaise and a salted caramel for garnishing. If you have leftovers like us, you can always turn it into french toast for the breakfast the next day!! Enjoy :)

Two Classics in One...

For the Bread Pudding:

1lb Bread, Cut into 1inch pieces (I used ½lb croissants & ½lb French baguette)

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

1t Salt

6 Large Eggs

2C Heavy Cream

1C Whole Milk

½C Sugar (plus extra for crème brulee topping)

½C Raw Bourbon Vanilla Sugar

1t Vanilla Extract

1T Vanilla Bean Infused Rum

1 Pinch of Cinnamon

For the Crème Anglaise:

2C Whole Milk

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

½C Sugar

4 Large Egg Yolks, Room Temperature

Directions:

1. The Night Before: Cut your choice of bread into 1inch pieces and spread it onto a baking sheet and let the bread become stale overnight.   

2. The Next Day: Spray a 13x9-baking dish with Pam and place the stale bread pieces into it. 
3. For the Crème Anglaise: Set a large fine strainer over a medium bowl and set the bowl in a shallow pan of cold water. In a large saucepan, combine the half-and-half and vanilla bean and cook over moderately low heat just until small bubbles appear around the rim, about 5 minutes. In another medium bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks just until combined. Whisk in half of the hot half-and-half in a thin stream. Pour the mixture into the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce has thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain the sauce into the bowl in the cold water bath to stop the cooking. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the sauce. Serve right away or refrigerate until chilled.
4. For the Custard: Beat together the eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and vanilla beans until smooth and incorporated. Slowly pour the custard over the stale bread and press lightly to submerge them in the custard. Let the bread soak for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake your bread pudding for 30 minutes or until the bread pudding has raised some and set in the middle. Let the bread pudding cool to room temperature (or chill it if you like) before caramelizing the top.
7. Sprinkle an even layer of sugar over the top of the cooked bread pudding. Using a kitchen torch, slowly and evenly pass the flame over the sugar until it’s liquefied and has turned a caramel color. Serve immediately with homemade crème Anglaise or salted caramel sauce.

Half Baked Bread Pudding "Ice Cream"

Have y'all seen the new show, Sugar High, hosted by Duff Goldman on the Food Network? If you haven't you should, go set your DVR right now. It's like Diners, Drive In's, & Dives but for dessert-minded people (which I love). I was so excited when I saw the preview for this show, and the premiere did not disappoint. The first episode featured Schulzies Bread Pudding in California. I have never really been a bread pudding fan, but I watched on to see what her twist on an old classic would be. Ends up, she makes it completely different. Instead of serving the bread pudding hot, like we have probably all had it as kids, she serves it cold, scooped like ice cream (look at my picture, doesn't it really look like ice cream). I was instantly intrigued because I didn't like bread pudding because of it being hot and soggy. She insisted to Duff, that by chilling it, the pudding would become similar to a custard or an ice cream. So I thought, why not... let's give this a try. I just had to decide on a flavor. She has 108 flavors available to try... YES, that is the correct number. I didn't mess it up, I promise. Anyway, I looked at a few flavors and decided to kind of go with what I was craving. I ended up making "Half Baked Bread Pudding", which is inspired from the Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor. I had already once remade Phish Food ice cream before, so I figured I'd use another flavor as inspiration. I used Italian bread, brownies, chocolate chips, and cookie dough to make this bread pudding "ice cream", and it turned out great! Once it is cold, it really does taste similar to ice cream. If you don't like bread pudding, I'd really give it a try... it's just a totally different take on something you would never expect. Enjoy :)

Half Baked Bread Pudding "Ice Cream"

For the Bread Pudding:

2C Sugar

5 Large Eggs, Beaten

2C Milk

2t Vanilla

1 ½C Italian Bread, Stale & Torn into Bite-Size Pieces

1 ½C Brownie Pieces

½C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

½C White Chocolate Chips

For the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

5T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1/3C Light Brown Sugar

3T Sugar

¼t Salt

1t Vanilla

¾C Flour

2/3C Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. To Make the Bread Pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 baking dish with Pam, and set it aside. Place the torn Italian bread pieces, brownie pieces, and chocolate chips into the pan (mixed together). Mix together the sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, and vanilla bean in a bowl until smooth.  Pour the batter over the bread pieces in the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and let the bread cool for 15-20 minutes, and then cover with tin foil and refrigerate overnight until chilled.
3. To Make the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set this aside until ready to mix into the chilled bread pudding.
4. To Mix Up the Bread Pudding: Once the bread pudding has chilled and set in the refrigerator overnight, get the pan out and using your hands break up the pudding until it is light and fluffy (into pieces). Get your prepared cookie dough mixture and form them into rough balls and the place them evenly throughout the torn bread pudding mixture.
5. To Serve the Half-Baked Bread Pudding “Ice Cream”: Scoop the bread pudding into bowls and serve with some whipped cream.

source: the best bread pudding. 


*Check out Sweets for a Saturday for this recipe, as well as many others!!*