This soft and gooey cardamom pear bread pudding is the perfect spiced winter treat topped with an orange cardamom caramel sauce.
Winter in Middle Earth
With the cold days and long nights of winter coming upon us, let us imagine the hearty and rustic fare that would warm tables across JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth. As the nights lengthen and the days grow dark, we can wonder at what foods would be served in the great halls of the Dwarven kings or at the lavish feast tables of the Elven kingdoms. What delicacies would be served by the hobbits, snug in their cozy hobbit holes as the winds of winter howl across the land? Let us explore together some of the culinary delights from different lands for a Winter Feast in Middle Earth.
The Shire
Our feast ends in the toasty kitchen of a cozy hobbit hole with a warm bread pudding smothered with a sweet, citrusy caramel sauce. Pears cooked in brandy are tossed with cubed bread and then soaked with a cardamom spiced egg custard. Turbinado sugar adds a sweet crunch to this comforting pudding. A homemade caramel sauce flavoured with fresh orange zest and cardamom infused cream is the perfect topping for this decadent winter dessert.
Ingredients
Pears: I used Bartlett pears, although you could use any kind that you prefer.
Cardamom: This subtle winter spice flavours both the bread pudding and the orange caramel sauce. Ground cardamom is used to flavour the bread pudding while whole cardamom pods are steeped in the cream for the caramel sauce.
Bread: I like using a thick cut French bread for bread pudding. Dry the bread out in the oven to allow it to absorb the egg custard more easily.
How to make Cardamom Pear Bread Pudding
Make the bread pudding
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the french bread into 1-inch cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake the bread cubes for 5 to 10 minutes. The bread cubes should be dried but not browned. Spray a 13×9 inch baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced pears and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the pears begin to soften. Add the brown sugar, brandy, and cardamom and cook for another few minutes until the pears are tender. Remove from the heat. Scoop out the pears with a slotted spoon and reserve the syrup.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Add the reserved syrup from the pears.
Bake the bread pudding
Transfer half of the bread cubes to the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the cooked pears. Repeat the layers. Pour the egg custard over the bread cubes. Gently toss the bread with your hands to makes sure it is evenly coated. Let sit for 5 minutes then gently toss the bread cubes again.
Sprinkle the raw turbinado sugar over the bread cubes. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle of the bread pudding comes out clean.
Make the orange cardamom caramel sauce
In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat. Crush the cardamom pods and add to the cream. Allow the cream to come to a simmer then cover and reduce the heat to low. Let steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch that the cream does not boil over, removing from the heat if necessary and continue steeping. After 15 minutes, strain the cream and set aside.
Gather the remaining ingredients so they are ready to go. Zest and juice the orange. Cut the butter into small cubes and set aside. In a medium (not small) saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
At this point stop stirring the sugar syrup and continue to boil it. Swirl the pot occasionally but don’t stir it with a spoon. As the syrup cooks, some sugar may crystallize around the edge of the pot. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush the crystallized sugar. Be careful as the water will cause the sugar syrup to spatter a bit.
Continue to boil until the sugar syrup starts to change colour. This will take about 10 to 12 minutes. The syrup will turn a light golden yellow and then darken into a dark amber colour. As it begins to change colour, continue swirling the pan so that it caramelizes evenly.
When it reaches a dark amber colour immediately add the butter. Be careful, the mixture will bubble and spatter. Swirl the pan gently. When butter is mostly melted carefully pour in the cream and orange juice. Stand back as the mixture will bubble up and spatter. Let cook for another minute to make sure all of the caramel has dissolved.
Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest and salt. Let cool briefly before serving. The caramel sauce can be made ahead of time. It will harden in the fridge, just reheat before serving.
Serve the Cardamom Pear Bread Pudding with Orange Cardamom Caramel Sauce
To serve, cut the bread pudding into portions and transfer to serving dishes. Top with the warm orange cardamom caramel sauce and enjoy!
