My mom is a very funny story-teller — so funny, in fact, that I firmly believe she should have made a succesful career as a comedian instead of as a teacher. Listening to her stories makes my sides hurt from laughing so much.

Her sense of humor is also evident in her cooking recipes as well. Believe me when I say that getting a straight recipe out of her is no easy task. A friend of mine, Aureni, can attest to that.

Visiting my mother once, Aureni was very excited about the wonderful taste of her bread pudding. So she asked my mom for the recipe. When my friend returned to her city, she tried to make it, but without success: something was wrong with the recipe. Years and years passed, and that bread pudding never did come out right.

Well, until this afternoon.

I am a very persistent person. Years ago I made my mother write the recipe down, asking all sorts of questions and, of course, emphasizing that the recipes (I asked for several) had to be precise. She knows her daughter well!

I finally attempted to make her famous pudding for the first time. I confess that although I had the supposedly correct recipe in my hands, I was quite distressed after reading the directions, which are somewhat unconventional for a custard.

Anyway I decided to relax a bit and test my mom’s recipe. I was very curious about the results.

Then, surprise!!! The bread pudding turned out much, much better than I expected.

I was so anxious to try it that I did not even wait for it to chill. Actually, I ate it slightly warm, both with and without chocolate sauce. Her bread pudding is simple yet tasty. Because it is my Mom’s recipe, I did not add any extra ingredients such lemon rind, nuts, or chocolate. Maybe in the future…. But for now, I will happily enjoy her masterpiece just as it is. Have a great weekend!

P.S: The roses that you see in the images are a tribute to my mother. In our garden in Brazil, beautiful roses were cultivated by her hand.

My Mom’s Bread Pudding

Serves 12

Segment: Brazilian cuisine

Ingredients:

• 5 cups stale french bread or baguette, chopped 
• 3 cups warm milk (for a dairy-free version use either rice or coconut milk)
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup, warm

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180ºC).

Soak the bread in the warm milk until softened. In a blender, blend all the ingredients together, except the syrup. Reserve.

Pour the warm syrup into a 10″ (about 25 cm) ring baking pan, and evenly coat the sides and bottom by tilting the syrup around the pan in a circular motion. Next, pour the blended bread mixture into the pan.

Bake uncovered for 35 – 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool down on a rack. When it is slightly warm, run a small metallic icing spatula or knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the pudding. Invert onto a serving plate. Cover and refrigerate. Serve plain or with chocolate sauce, which recipe is from David Lebovitz’s blog.

NOTE: Because this is a custard, technically it should be preferably cooked in a bain-marie instead, permitting it to cook slowly and more evenly. If you use this process, it will take longer to cook. Place ring mold pan in a larger, rectangular baking pan, and fill with boiling water to come halfway up side of ring mold pan. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean.

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Pudim de Pão da Minha Mãe

Rendimento: 12 fatias

Ingredientes:

• 5 xícaras de pão francês amanhecido e picado
• 3 xícaras de leite morno (use leite de coco, se você é intolerante a lactose)
• 4 ovos à temperatura ambiente
• 2 xícaras de açúcar
• 1 colher de chá de essência de baunilha
• 1/3 xícara de mel caro aquecido

Modo de Preparo:

Pré-aqueça o forno a 180ºC.

Coloque os pães picados para amolecer no leite morno. Bata todos os ingredientes no liquidificador, exceto o mel caro. Reserve.

Passe o mel aquecido numa forma de buraco (25 cm) e despeje a mistura batida no liquidificador na forma.

Leve ao forno para assar por 35 a 40 minutos ou até um palito inserido no pudim saia limpo. Deixe esfriar. Quando o pudim estiver levemente morno, passe cuidadosamente uma faca  ou uma espátula metálica pequena nas bordas da forma para soltar o pudim. Inverta o pudim num prato. Cubra e leve à geladeira. Sirva gelado com ou sem calda de chocolate, cuja receita se encontra abaixo.

OBS: Tecnicamente, o pudim deveria ser preferivelmente assado em banho-maria, permitindo um cozimento mais lento e uniforme. Se você usar esse método, o pudim cozinhará mais devagar. Assim que ponha a forma do pudim em banho-maria (a água fervente  do banho-maria deverá ficar da altura da  metade da forma do pudim) e deixe assar por uns 45-55 minutos ou até que um palito inserido no pudim saia limpo.

Para a Calda de Chocolate:

• 1 xícara chocolate meio amargo picado
• 3/4 xícara de creme de leite de caixinha morno
• 1 colher de chá de extrato de baunilha

Coloque o chocolate picado em um refratário, derreta no microondas por 1 a 2 minutos, mexa. Se necessário, esquente novamente até ficar mole o suficiente para quando for mexido derreter totalmente. Misture o creme de leite morno e a baunilha. Despeje sobre o pudim e sirva imediatamente ou reserve para pôr sobre cada fatia de pudim.

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