White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding (from World Food Championships 2014)

Ingredients

Custard:
3 c whipping cream
1 c. milk
½ c. sugar
10 oz. white chocolate chips
2 whole eggs
7 egg yolks

Bread:
24” Italian, French, or Cuban Bread

Fruit:
2 pts. Raspberries

White Chocolate Sauce:
16 oz white chocolate chips
1 c. whipping cream

Raspberry Drizzle:
1 pt Raspberries
¼ c. sugar
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 c. cold water

​Whipped Cream:

¾ c. whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ c. powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large sauce pan, heat whipping cream, milk, and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and whisk in white chocolate. Stir until melted. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs & egg yolks. Slowly pour in a small amount of white chocolate cream and whisk. Slowly pour remaining cream in a steady stream, whisking continuously.

Cut bread into small cubes. Half fill ramekins with cubed bread. Top with blackberries. Pour 1/8 c. white cream over bread. Using fingers squish bread down. Top with more bread. Again, pour 1/8 c. white cream over bread. Using fingers squish bread to soak with cream. Add more cream as needed to soak bread. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, increase temperature to 375 degrees and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Heat white chips and whipping cream over medium heat until melted.

In a small pot, combine raspberries, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cook over medium heat until raspberries have broken down and sauce thickens. Push sauce through a cheesecloth or sieve to remove seeds.

In a cold mixing bowl, beat heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff. Spoon whipped cream into a piping bag and pipe a rosette beside plated bread pudding.

Key Lime Cream Puffs

Ingredients:

Cream Puffs:

1 c. water

½ c. butter

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. eggs (approximately 4)

1 pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Key Lime Filling:

½ c. sugar

1 egg

1/3 c. key lime juice

Pinch of salt

3 TBSP butter

1 c. heavy whipping cream

½ c. powdered sugar

Directions:

In a sauce pan, combine sugar, egg, lime juice, and sauce.  Whisk until blended.  Add butter.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and refrigerate until cool

In a large bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until peaks form.  Fold whipping cream into chilled key lime curd.  Cover and chill while cream puffs are baking.

In a medium sized sauce pan, bring water and butter to a simmer over medium heat.  Add flour and with a wooden spoon, stir very quickly in one direction until the flour has absorbed all liquid.  Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment.  Allow the dough to cool 4-5 minutes. With the mixer running, add the salt and eggs, one at a time, until everything is completely combined.  Spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. 

Pipe 2 inch round mounds onto a parchment or silicone covered cookie sheet.  Using wet fingers, tap down the point at the top of each mound. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

Spoon chilled filling into a piping bag fitted with a small filling tip.  Using a knife, split each cream puff without cutting completely through. Fill the cavity of each puff with key lime cream.  Dust with powdered sugar and serve.