I had one of these little toy electric ovens back at the end of the Forties -- before litigation took the fun out of toys. No wimpy light bulb cooking and packaged mixes here. This baby came with metal pots and pans and a recipe booklet. It plugged in and heated up like nobody's business. I was about six and it was my favorite toy. I could make bread pudding all by myself -- buttered white bread, milk and sugar and eggs and raisins -- into the Little Chef and, voila, kitchen magic!
I suspect this was the beginning of a lifetime of cooking. . . and eating
It's been a long time since I made bread pudding and I thought I'd give it a go once again -- with a sophisticated twist. We had the end of a loaf of delicious chocolate/cardamon bread that Claui had given us for Christmas that I thought might be a good candidate for an updated bread pudding.
INGREDIENTS:
|
6 slices day-old bread
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 eggs, beaten
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2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dark rum
|
DIRECTIONS:
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). | |
| Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. Sprinkle with dried cranberries. | |
| In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. | |
| Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped. |
Super easy and really delicious hot. Not bad cold the next day.
Now I'm thinking of other variations -- maybe I need to bake some pumpkin bread to try in this recipe. Pecans would have been nice for an added crunch . . . What about a savory bread pudding made with rye and/or pumpernickel? And where's the recipe for the savory French bread, wild mushroom pudding I made some Christmas past?
This could turn into an obsession . . .
23 comments:
I'll bet you can make much larger quantities with your big girl oven!
Not seen bread pudding for years. Tastes are a very effective vehicle for memories.
mmm been a while on bread pudding for me as well...and sadly so true on how litigation changes the face of toys...dont get me started on that though...ha
I had never seen such a cute, scaled down oven like that before. How neat!
I love bread pudding, but it's been ages since I've made any ... guess that will be a good project for such a cold, windy day here. Some yummy comfort food!
Sorry for the repeats of my post. Could my fingers be frozen already????
What a great toy appliance, for little girl cooks. You were certainly fortunate to learn to cook with yours! Keep warm, Vicki!
My mom used to make a bread pudding with a German twist. It was often a mixture of breads (whatever was left) but a goodly deal was rye with caraway seeds. Maybe she added more seeds. And then some chocolate chips too. Lovely. Served with vanilla-ish sauce or hot fudge. Killer dessert and I'm watering just thinking of it.
I love bread pudding and this week might be a good one for returning to genuine comfort foods. Of course, I don't plan to make Paula Deen's version using Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead of bread.
Pepper's mom's German version sounds good...
but using Krispy Kreme doughnuts? Oh dear god, gag me with a spoon!
OMG! I thought you were at my house baking! http://osagebluffquilter.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-to-do-inside-when-its-really-cold.html
Keep warm, it was -3 when I woke up at 8 am!
That looks and sounds delicious! I've never thought of making savory bread pudding, but it's a brilliant idea.
I used to have an easy bake oven when I was young, but it was plastic and didn't look as real as yours! I loved cooking in it.
Stay warm, we're in for a cold one!
Yummy.. I had a toy stove/oven, but I'm not sure I could actually cook on (in) it. More for display and 'playing'...
I have not had bread pudding in sooo long. Sounds wonderful. Maybe hot with some vanilla ice cream on top
ha...loved what you said about the stove....so true...and we survived...no fun in childhood anymore...but that bread pudding sounds delish...my mom added apples....Im going to dig around for her recipe...now that you got me hankering for some...
I love your posts
Sounds just the thing for a cold day. And, ohhh, I've never seen a child's cooker that actually cooks! How wonderful. If they did still make them, maybe we'd have a healthier population if people learned to cook properly.
I love good ol' peasant food, and if bread pudding isn't good ol' peasant food, nothing is. Yours looks wonderful. I imagine the cranberries add a nice touch.
Having posted my comment I saw others' mentions of the "vanilla-y sauce," and remembered my mother's lemon hard sauce. THAT was what we always had with bread pudding.
Ah, to die for.
The dried cranberries provide a bit of tartness to offset the chocolate.
Lemon hard sauce sounds heavenly -- I love hard sauce! And I love lemon.
Vicki, the most recent time I've been treated to bread pudding was on my recent visit to the UK. There's a grand restaurant on Bethnal Green Road, called E. Pellicci, and I have never visited there without being sent "homeward" to my hotel with a wrapped up packaged of Maria Pellicci's bread pudding.
Scrumptious.
Perhaps I will try to make some of my own this winter. I do have a some vintage Corningware just like the baking dish in your photos. Should be perfect.
xo
I love bread pudding, but haven't made it in ages. Was so glad to see your white corning baking dish - the one with the blue design on it. I still use my set daily and was shocked to see facebook posts, "remember these"... what are they talking about!
Deanna -- my aunt gave me a set of that Corningware as a wedding gift -- fifty years and still going strong. I remember in high school home ec -- late Fifties, a Corning ware rep came and spoke to our class of future homemakers to introduce this amazing new product. Freezer to oven to table -- he was right -- the stuff is almost indestructible.
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