Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

There's some old saying about 'when life gives you apples, make bread pudding.' Ok, so that's a lie, I totally made that up. But at least admit that it sounds good. Well life did happen to give me apples today, as well as a loaf of stale bread, heavy cream on the brink of non-existence, and a pantry full of dried fruits. I did the only logical thing I could think of doing and made a bread pudding using the bottle of cider I had in my mini-fridge. Duh. 

 Apple Bread Pudding: Serves about 9

1/3    c. Crispin's 'The Saint' Cider 

1 1/2 c. Heavy Cream 

 4      Eggs, at room temperature 

10     oz. French Bread-day old, tore into 1" pieces 

 1      Large Apple-peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" pieces (I used Braeburn)
1/2    c. Dark Brown Sugar 

1/4    c. Golden Raisins 

1/8    c. Dried Currants 

 2      tsp. Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped 

1/2    tsp. Cinnamon

1/2    tsp. Vanilla Extract

1) You'll want to start by preheating your oven to 350 and buttering an 8x8 in. square

    baking pan on all sides. 

2) In a large bowl; combine your bread,  raisins & currants, ginger, and apples. 

    Set aside.

3) In a small bowl; whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and heavy

    cream. Quickly whisk in the cider and immediately add to the bowl with the 

    bread mixture. 

4) Toss all of the ingredients in the bowl until the bread is well saturated and then 

    transfer to the prepared baking dish. 

5) Bake for 30 minutes, rotate pan, and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes. 

    The pudding will be done when the top has become golden brown and a fork 

    inserted in the middle comes out with slightly wet crumbs. 

6) Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting. (This may be the 

    hardest part). 

I'm really serious about adding the cider quickly, there's enough acid in the cider that it could curdle the cream mixture, keep it moving and get it on the bread in a hurry like.

It looks gross when you add the liquid, just have faith.

 Caramel Sauce (if you fancy it):  Makes about 1/2 cup 

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/4 c. The Saint Cider 

 2   Tbsp. Unsalted Butter 

 1   Tbsp. brandy/bourbon/dark rum (pick your poison) 

 A pinch of salt 

You can totally see me taking the picture in that giant bubble.

1) In a large saucepan, heat the sugar, salt and the cider over medium high heat. 

    Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and then let the mixture come to a boil. 

2) Cook undisturbed, occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan for 3-5 min.

    Since the sugar is already really dark, I used my nose to make sure the sugar was

    not burning. Try that or swirl the pan to check out the consistency, it should be 

    slower moving. 

3) Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and booze. Whisk to incorporate, 

     serve immediately with the pudding or store covered in the fridge and reheat 

     later when needed.

I also opted to make a bit of whipped cream with the leftover heavy cream I had. I didn't add a thing to it because there is so much flavor in the sauce and bread pudding already. I simply took an immersion blender and let it do it's thing for a minute or so and then slapped a big spoonful on top of my pudding prize. Sprinkle with some cinnamon and my friend, it's now your lucky day.