Two-Day-Old-Croissant-Blueberry Pudding

Saturday morning I made croissants. Saturday afternoon I went blueberry picking. By Monday afternoon they both had to be either used or tossed. I also had a quart and a half of milk to finish before my Wednesday pick up at the farm. All signs pointed to bread pudding.

I've said before that I love pudding. My love of pudding certainly extends to bread pudding, despite a few dry, bland puddings I have endured in the past. They don't have to be that way. Starting with a soft, absorbent bread (such as the croissants used here) and baking it in a dish deeper than you think advisable are two ways I have found to ensure a moist pudding. The recipe from the Joy of Cooking that I based this on called for only 1/4 teaspoon of salt, but after tasting my pudding (and fearing falling into the bland category) I felt it could use a little more.

So here is a moist and tasty bread pudding studded with sweet and tart blueberries--a good dessert; a decadent breakfast.

Croissant-Blueberry Pudding

adapted from a Joy of Cooking bread pudding recipe

• 4 cups stale croissant cubes (4 medium-sized croissants)
• 3 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• juice and zest of half a lemon
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 1 1/2 to 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
• Add the salt to the warm milk and soak the croissant cubes in this mixture for 15 minutes. Combine the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg and beat well. Add the lemon juice and zest to the yolk mixture and beat to combine. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks. Pour the egg yolk mixture and the blueberries over the soaked croissant and stir gently until well combined. Fold in the egg whites.
• Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Set baking dish in a pan of hot water and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Serve warm with (ice) cream or have cold the next morning for breakfast.