Cherry Bread Pudding

In a perfect world, by Sunday, you’ll wake up with a leftover baguette from your fun dinner party the night before and a bounty of fresh Bing cherries that you’ve picked up from the farmer’s market.

This scenario was not exactly the case for me and this swoon-worthy bread pudding. The cherries happened to be frozen. (Which is actually great news, because not only can it be done, it’s just as delicious and can be made any time of year!) Fresh of course is always preferred. The baguette used here was leftover from my husband’s citizenship party. We had a great American style backyard BBQ and put out some baguette and cheese for a little touch of his French heritage. Turns out, everyone just wanted the chips and burgers. Luckily, this preference lead to the development of today’s bread pudding.

I love the blank canvas that bread pudding provides. If you have all the basic ingredients already (milk, eggs, sugar, and bread) then you can take your bread pudding wherever you’d like. A dash of cinnamon, a ripe cherry (as it the case today), liquor, vanilla, lemon, other spices, etc. I even make one with a creme anglaise. Bread Pudding Loaf with Crème Anglaise.

Or why not go savory? That opens a whole new realm of possibility. Spinach & Cheese Savory Bread Pudding anyone?

And it’s not just the add-ins. You have infinite choices for which bread to use. From classic French and Italian loaves, hardy seeded German loaves, French baguette, brioche, or croissant, or your basic American sandwich bread. You have choices! And the outcome is the ultimate comfort food that’s good warm or cold. With or without ice cream. For breakfast or dessert. Have a happy weekend and enjoy the cherry season!