I know very little about bread pudding, or even if I like it, but I trust Isabel. Isabel's restaurants and cookbook are amazing, so I'm sure this recipe will be tasty. Her web site is here but she won't share recipes. Luckily, Santa gave me a copy of her book last year, and I have been wanting to make this croissant / chocolate dessert for awhile.
Ingredients (Bread Pudding):
Butter, for the pan
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 TBL packed light brown sugar
4-6 Croissants, enough to fill a 9-inch pie plate, split in half as if for a sandwich
Mexican Chocolate (recipe follows)
1 Cup Sliced Almonds
Ingredients (Mexican Chocolate):
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 Cup of sugar
1 TBL ground Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
Combine eggs, half-and-half, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Press the sliced croissants into the egg mixture and soak for three minutes, turning once or twice. They should absorb the egg mixture but not to the point of falling apart. Fit the bottom half of each croissant into the buttered pie plate, sliced side down.
Sprinkle 1 cup of Mexican Chocolate over the croissants and then 1/2 cup of the almonds. Layer the remaining halves of the croissants, sliced side down again, on top. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Mexican Chocolate and the remaining 1/2 cup almonds over the top.
Bake the bread pudding until puffy and dry on top but still moist inside, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting and serving. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled. The bread pudding can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Mexican Chocolate
Combine the chocolate chips, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
