slow cooker success #4: spiced chocolate bread pudding

Ok, so I talked about this in my Gommfest d'Hiver post and promised the recipe to a bunch of people so here it is. This is the "Dessert of the Month" in the January issue of Martha Stewart Living and is meant to be served in individual rammekins and only cooked for about 30 mins. I tweaked this recipe for use in the slow cooker and that's what this recipe is. If you decide to make it be prepared for 1) lots of leftovers cuz it makes a ton 2) teary-eyed hugs from all who eat it. Oh yeah, it's that good.

Spiced Chocolate Bread Pudding

3 cups of heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

2 cinnamon sticks

2 dried hot red chiles, crumbled

½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved

6 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

6 large egg yolks

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons bourbon (we didn't have any so I used brandy)

1 loaf challah or brioche about 1 pound. Cut into ¾ inch cubes (we made our own challah bread b/c you can't buy it anywhere around here but that's a whole other story)

3 tablespoons course raw sugar, such as turbinado

½ cup sour cream

1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

ground cinnamon, for garnish

chocolate curls

1. Bring 2 cups cream, the milk, cinnamon sticks, chiles, and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Place milk chocolate and bittersweet in a heatproof bowl. Return cream mixture to a simmer, then strain over chocolate, discarding solids. Gently stir until smooth.

3. Whisk egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until pale and thick. Whisking constantly, add chocolate mixture in a slow steady stream. Whisk in boozey goodness.

4. Place bread in a large bowl, pour in chocolate custard, and gently fold until combined. Let stand for 30 minutes.

5. Dump the whole mix into the slow cooker. Sprinkle generously with raw sugar.

6. Cook on low for a long while or on high for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom. Don't let the bread dry out -- you want it still a bit sticky but not wet.

7. Just before serving, beat remaining 1 cup cream with the sour cream and confect sugar until soft peaks form. Top each serving of bread pudding with cream, garnish with ground cinnamon and chocolate curls.

8. Eat and be happy someone invented this recipe. Take the praise.