Decadent: Biscotti Bread Pudding

This dessert should be illegal.
It is so good, so decadent, as most bread puddings are.

Custard, crushed cookies, bread and chocolate? Are you kidding me?

I got the idea from Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
In the book there is a recipe for Biscotti Budino, a cold uncooked pudding, that firms up in the fridge after tempering egg yolks with leftover crushed cookies and leaving it overnight in the fridge.

Since I had a leftover baguette that was going to be made into breadcrumbs and leftover cantuccini (little almond biscotti), I decided to make up my own version to bake in the oven, similar to a panettone bread pudding.



I baked it in a loaf pan, so I could slice it, and it came out beautifully.

I truly guessed on the measurements, and the taste and consistency just came out right.
Bread puddings are very forgiving. Some people like a firmer version with less custard, and some prefer a more eggy loose pudding. There are no rules, except don't use lowfat milk.

If you don't have leftover biscotti (who really does?), then you can use cookies, ginger snaps or shortbread.

Let's call this a bread pudding cake. We loved it.

Make sure you do extra minutes on the stair master after this one.



Biscotti Bread Pudding:

1 1/2 cups of crumbled biscotti (I used little almond cantuccini)
3 cups (half of a crusty baguette) torn into cubes
1/2 cup sugar
4 squares of bittersweet chocolate (I used Belgian 72% cacao)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups of whole milk or heavy cream (if you dare!)
3 eggs



Chop the chocolate into shavings with a heavy knife and add it to the chopped biscotti cookies and bread cubes. Add the sugar and cornstarch.



Mix the eggs and milk together in a measuring cup and pour over the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, mixing together well.

Let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes until milk is absorbed into the bread.

Pour into a buttered 8" x 8" cake pan (or a loaf pan lined with parchment paper), and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until pudding/cake looks set.



Since I used parchment paper, I lifted it right out of the pan and sliced it right into my mouth!



YUM.