Childhood memories are often chocolate-coated. My brother and I would save up our change to buy candy at the corner store on the walk home from school. He would choose a Milky Way; I would get a dark chocolate Mounds bar. He liked his chocolate light and sweet. I liked mine with a dark jolt.
As I explored chocolate’s intensely deep flavor, a friend’s mom added a splash of coffee to hot cocoa drinks, sending me further along this direction.
I sampled everything that came my way. Brownies studded with bittersweet chocolate chips. Sour cream chocolate-swirl cake. Chocolate-covered espresso beans. A bag of bittersweet chocolate bits meant for cookies never got as far as the dough: I ate them right out of a bag. Still do.
As a parent, I slipped cocoa powder into ground beef tacos. Chocolate makes the beef taste beefier. Actually, most meat tastes meatier with added chocolate. The Mexican nuns, who invented mole poblano, a stew that made use of the meat from elderly, tough turkeys, knew this.
For a long time, chocolate bread pudding has been my go-to dessert. Non-bakers, like me, can take this non-recipe, add to or subtract from a few basic ingredients, and make it their own. Chocolate chips, liqueurs, orange zest, walnuts, mini-marshmallows, etc.
Basically foolproof no matter what the cook adds, it always turns out well. It’s perfect for entertaining a house bursting at the seams with holiday guests. Scoop it into a bowl and dollop with whipped cream.
MY CHOCLATE BREAD PUDDING
As baking is not my strong suit, I start my bread pudding with a chocolate pound cake from the grocery store. I cut the cake and a loaf of French bread into cubes (crust or not crust, it’s up to the cook) — cut any size. I put them on a sheet pan in a low oven, about 200-250F degrees, until they are somewhat dried or even lightly toasted. I add a little vanilla to the whipped cream topping. Follow along and stay loose. No mistakes to be made here.
1. In a large bowl, beat three extra-large eggs with whole milk (or light cream) until frothy. Add a touch of vanilla — or Sabra or Grande Marnier liqueur. (The alcohol evaporates in the cooking.)
2. Add a small amount, about 2 tablespoons, of sugar (the liqueur is sweet). Continue beating until thoroughly blended.
3. Fold in the cake and bread cubes. Set aside for 20 minutes to absorb the liquid.
4. While the bread and cake soak, butter a large enough baking dish to fit all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350F.
5. Transfer the mixture into the baking dish. Place this baking dish into a larger one. Place the dishes (the smaller one inside the larger) on the middle shelf of the oven. Pour boiling water into the larger pan so that it surrounds the smaller baking pan, reaching halfway up the sides of the smaller one. (This avoids accidents.)
6. Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes. Take the pudding out of the oven; add a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips, about ¼ to ½ cup, poking them into the mixture. Return the pudding to the oven for 10 minutes until slightly crusty on top.
7. Use an ice cream scoop to dollop it into dessert bowls or cups. Top with unsweetened (or lightly sweetened) whipped cream while the pudding is still warm enough so the cream melts.
Linda Bassett lived in Marblehead for years and has worked as a cook, trained up-and-coming chefs, studied food history and led food tours. Her book, “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” is about local cooks and cooking.
Linda Bassett
Marblehead resident Linda Bassett has worked as a cook, trained up-and-coming chefs, studied food history and led food tours. Her book, “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” is about local cooks and cooking.
