Valrhona Chocolate Bread Pudding with Crème Fraîche & Dried Cherry Port Sauce
If you are going to make and eat dessert, make it worth every bite. Valrhona 70% chocolate comes from France and has an amazingly smooth and intense deep flavour. The 70% denotes the quantity of cocoa content in the chocolate. It is available in better quality specialty food shops. Semisweet Belgian or Swiss can be substituted with good results. Late Bottled Vintage Port is available at most liquor stores.
Ingredients
6 slices of brioche, challah or other egg bread, crusts removed
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 oz 70% Valrhona chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp soft butter (for the casserole dish)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup milk
6 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp Late Bottled Vintage Port
4 oz Valrhona chocolate, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup port
1/3 cup sugar
Crème Fraîche:
1 cup Avalon whipping cream
1 tbsp buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Lightly brush both sides of bread slices with melted butter. Toast bread on a cookie sheet until golden brown.
Place 6 oz chocolate in a saucepan together with the cream and milk. Heat, stirring until chocolate is just melted. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar and the 2 tbsp Port. Whisk the chocolate cream into the yolk mixture. Layer the toasted bread in 10-inch buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle with the chocolate chunks. Pour the chocolate cream over the bread, cover and let stand at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Set the gratin dish in a larger ovenproof pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the gratin dish. Bake for 1 hour. The top should be slightly set and custard-like.
While the pudding is baking, combine the cherries, 1/2 cup Port and sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the liquid becomes syrupy, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the pudding from the water bath and serve while it is still warm with cherries and crème fraîche.
To make crème fraîche: Mix together whipping cream and buttermilk in a bowl, cover with plastic and leave at room temperature to thicken. This will take 12 - 24 hours. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serves 8