Lynne Rosetto Kaspar is one of my idols. The host of The Splendid Table is not only a wonderfully engaging radio personality but a brilliant chef as evidenced by her Stump the Cook segments. Listeners call in with five ingredients from their fridge and she has to come up with a new dish the listener will actually eat by adding only three free ingredients (not including salt, pepper, and water). It's absolutely brilliant.Therefore, I dedicate this recipe to Ms. Rosetto Kaspar, particular since I started...sort of...from her Impromptu Savory Bread Pudding recipe. The recipe has a mild sweetness and can be served as a breakfast or dinner side dish. Or...more likely...you can sit by yourself in the corner with a spoon and finish it in a single setting. Yeah, it's pretty good.
Coconut Butternut Bread Pudding
1-2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
6-8 cups of stale French or Italian bread
1 cup raisins
1 cup pureed butternut squash
1 cup grated coconut
2 cups milk
4 eggs
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ginger
- Preheat the oven to 350oF.
- Melt the butter or margarine and spread it in an even layer in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish.
- Tear the bread into medium chunks, about 1 inch square, and put them in a single layer in the pan, completely covering the bottom of the dish.
- Add raisins evenly to the bread.
- Whisk together the squash, coconut, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and spices until smooth.
- Pour the mixture evenly over the bread and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes until the milk mixture is completely absorbed.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pudding is just set. The pudding should be firm but just barely moist in the middle.
