Monday, January 5, 2009

Tsoureki Bread Pudding

Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year brings peace, joy, love, health and happiness to all.


I ended 2008 with a festive dessert and decided to to start this new year off with a subtly sweet one that brings together some of my favorite things--tsoureki and pudding.


My own Vassilopita (the traditional New Year's cake made by Greek families) follows the tradition of my Giagia's orange and cognac scented cake but many Greeks make a sweet bread-like version in the form of, what's known in Greek as, tsoureki. One of my aunts gifted us with one such tsoureki inspired Vassilopita as we hosted a warm family dinner New Year's day. It was an extra-large Vassilopita that perfectly accomodated the 25 slices (including those slices dedicated to Christ, our home and the poor) we needed to cut that evening. The lucky coin was discovered within my cousin's slice (that of my own Vassilopita, which we cut early New Year's morning, was found between my husband's and the poor's slices).


The Vassilopita my aunt so kindly bestowed upon us was so large, I had quite a bit left over since everyone was so full from everything else we devoured that evening. This Saturday while we were waiting for some friends to come by for a quick get-together, I decided to use the remaining tsoureki in this bread pudding, which was subtly sweet and accented with a handful of juicy sultanas. I drizzled a bit of honey over it just before serving, but would seriously consider making a sauce to complement it next time.


By the way, I love bread pudding and the best bread pudding I've ever eaten was seven years ago at the Grand Hyatt Kauai--I ate that sinfully rich, loaded-with-butter-eggs-and-cream bread pudding for six straight mornings during our stay there. Hey, we were on vacation ... that's allowed, right?!



Tsoureki Bread Pudding


8 to 10 thick slices of tsoureki
2 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup raisins


Use some of the butter to grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Tear or cut the tsoureki into 1- to 2-inch pieces and arrange in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cream and milk. Pour over the bread and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or up to two hours covered in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the raisins over the bread pudding and press some of them in to submerge. Bake until the bread pudding sets and is slightly golden and quite puffy, about 40 minutes. Cool a few minutes. Drizzle with honey (I used my favorite--thyme honey from Greece) and serve warm.

13 comments:

Ivy said...

Well, what a great way to start 2009! The pudding sounds delicious.

Peter G | Souvlaki For The Soul said...

Happy New year! This is a great twist to the usual bread style puddings. The tsoureki is perfect with its distinct flavour. Yum!

Peter M said...

A neat adaptation to bread pudding. If I have any leftover or stale tsoureki...it's getting the Kali Orexi treatment!

Maria Verivaki said...

bread pudding, it's been a while since i've had that one, and it looks so tempting - great way to use up tsoureki

Hopie said...

What a great idea. That certainly looks delicious! Happy New Year Maria!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

You are allowed to eat whatever you like on vacation Maria!!! The bread pudding sounds so perfect right now since I am thinking of breakfast.

Thistlemoon said...

Oh man, I looove bread pudding, but I bet if I tried this, I would be spoiled on all the other ones forever! Good thing I don't have a Giagia!

Chef E said...

My husband has such a love affair with bread pudding, and would love this...but my father hated it so we did not eat it growing up...

Tomatillos are really only good for two things...frying or making salsa verde...they just are really hard to use in other ways...but you should try them...I could only eat three they were rich fried like that!

Anonymous said...

Tsoureki bread pudding?! Genius! Looks so delicious.

Anonymous said...

Oh I love bread pudding - especially when its not made with plain old bread! Will you be sharing a tsoureki recipe?!

Unknown said...

the pudding would be perfect to warm up these cold winter nights.

Núria said...

This is new to me Maria! I have never made a pudding but your pictures and instructions convinced me... when are you inviting me over? He, he... Just kidding :D

Happy New Year darling and hope that your wonderful wishes come true!

Anonymous said...

HA HA HA! I have made this myself one Easter that my tsoureki became as hard as rock and it was a great success. Bread pudding is compeletely unknown in Greece, so everyone thought I was very clever...