Chocolate Souffle or Chocolate Bread Pudding?

This dessert is beyond fabulous. It is true, 5-star restaurant quality, chocolate divine heaven. It's a rich, Chocolate Brandy Bread Pudding that tastes like a souffle.

Besides the anticipation of eating something so scrumptious, this dessert gave me the bonus of a required field trip. I needed to make a purchase at the local ABC store.

For the brandy.

In the recipe.

Luckily, the cashier recognizes me instantly. As "Clueless." I got my own guided tour around the liquor store. It seems the cashier had a little trouble finding the brandy himself. I guess it's not his beverage of choice. He did give me a great tip though. You can buy brandy in airplane bottles for 80 cents a bottle. One-third cup of brandy takes about 1 and 1/2 airplane bottles. Or you could splurge and buy a real size bottle, because I think you're going to like this dessert enough to make it more than once.

The first time I made this was for a dear friend of mine who is also a caterer. (And yes, it is quite stressful cooking dinner for a professional caterer!) When I told her I was making Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert I saw her actually turn up her nose. Later she admitted that she normally doesn't like bread pudding, but she thought this one was fantastic.

So without further tangents or field trips...

Chocolate Brandy Bread Pudding

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 1/4 cups half and half
1/3 cup brandy
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon, divided
4 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
8 slices crustless, country white bread in 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar

1. Brush sides and bottom of 8x8 Pyrex dish with melted butter.
2. Simmer half and half and brandy in a large heavy sauce pan for 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of chocolate chips. Let stand for 1 minute.
4. Whisk until chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Whisk in brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
6. Let stand 20 minutes until cool.
7. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and salt.
8. Stir in bread gently. Let stand for 30 minutes.
9. Spread 1/2 half of mixture ( about 2 1/2 cups) into prepared Pyrex.
10. Sprinkle remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips over bottom half of bread pudding mixture.
11. Cover with remaining bread pudding mixture.
12. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Can be made 1 day ahead.
13. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
14. Bake until puffed and firm in the center. About 45 minutes
15. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes
16. Beat chilled heavy cream with 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to top Individual servings of pudding.

The cinnamon in the whipped cream and the whipped cream itself is the perfect accent to the pudding. The recipe says it makes 6 servings. I love dessert and big helpings, and we get 8-10 servings from this dish. I love that you pop it in the oven as you sit down to eat, and it's warm and ready at the perfect time. I also like making it the day before, because I actually like to enjoy my guests when we have them over, rather than rushing around the kitchen.

I got this wonderful recipe from my mother-in-law, who got it out of the February, 2005, issue of Bon Appetit, page 105 if you'd like to check. My mother-in-law also taught me that following a recipe exactly always yields better results. Fudging is best left to those with better cooking instincts than I.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. It is definitely a make a great impression type of dessert. :)

After enjoying this chocolately goodness last night. And believe me, I
love chocolate, I would only use 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in
between the layers of pudding next time. Not that I'm qualified to tinker
with a recipe.