Fear of pie crust got you down on the idea of a traditional pumpkin Thanksgiving dessert? Fragrant Pumpkin Bread Pudding, from Diane Phillips’ “Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead,” achieves the same homey end to the turkey-day dinner without the anxiety of rolling out pastry. The recipe calls for challah, but we couldn’t find any at the local King Soopers so we made the dish from nine eggy brioche rolls from the bakery department. – Dana Coffield
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Serve in a pool of Orange-Ginger Custard Sauce or top it with whipped cream for an amazing dessert. It has to be made at least a day ahead of time to soak in the pumpkin mixture, but that gives you more time to relax. It bakes in the oven while you and your guests are enjoying the main course. Serves 12.
Ingredients
9 cups challah or other egg bread, torn into chunks (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 16-ounce can pumpkin puree
4 large eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Put the bread in a large bowl. In another large bowl, whisk together the cream, pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar and all the spices. Pour over the bread and stir to blend, pushing the bread down into the mixture. Transfer to the prepared dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and as long as 72 hours. Bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake the pudding until puffed and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve individual portions in a pool of custard sauce or drizzle sauce over the top.
Orange-Ginger Custard Sauce
Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
3 cups whole milk
Zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
6 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons orange liqueur or orange extract
Directions
In a medium-size saucepan, heat the milk, orange zest and ginger over medium high heat until the milk begins to form bubbles around the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Strain the zest and ginger out of the milk, returning the milk to the saucepan. Whisk in the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks and, over medium heat, whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and liqueur. Transfer to a glass bowl, let cool slightly and press plastic wrap directly against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When read to serve, re-whisk the sauce and serve cold or warm.
