Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I went to Juneau over Thanksgiving!

Some things happened...

Family yoga

Glacier time

Friends 4 EVA!

I also broke tradition and didn't make a pumpkin pie. 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Candied Walnuts (Hannah's own creation)

Bread Pudding

1 loaf of Raisin Bread from Wild Oven (or another loaf that's not as awesome)- cut into 1 inch cubes, sort of stale. 

1 c heavy cream

1/2 c whole milk

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

2 TBSP bourbon (optional) (but not really)

Candied Walnuts (see below)

-Preheat oven to 350. Put the rack in the middle. 

-Melt butter in an 8 in pan while the oven is preheating. Once it's melted, take out the pan and toss the bread in the butter, take out a handful of cubes.

-Whisk all the rest of the ingredients (except the walnuts). Pour over the bread cubes, sprinkle with the candied walnuts and the left over bread cubes (to make it crunchy)

-Bake until the custard is set, about 25-30 mins.

-Try to convince everyone that it's better than pumpkin pie. 

Candied Walnuts

1/2 c sugar

1 1/2 c raw walnut halves

1/8 tsp sea salt

-Toast the walnuts (350 oven for about 5 mins).

-Put the sugar in a medium sized sauce pan with a thick bottom. Cook the sugar on medium high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the sugar has melted and turned an amber color (this will take much longer than you think it should. You didn't mess it up, I promise). 

-Once the sugar is ready, throw in the walnuts and toss until covered. Pour out onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. WORK QUICKLY! Use 2 forks to separate the walnuts from each other, sprinkle with salt and let cool. 

Did I tell you that I saw ANDREW BIRD at Riverside Chapel! 

'Cause I did. 

I also discovered a few blog posts he did for the NYT back in 2008 and fell in love for the 8th time. 

This is the winter of hard pickin', soul wrenchin', vocal cord blastin' bluegrass/blues/country and I have to pay tribute to the song that started it all. 

It all started back in the Allen Marine summers and I haven't gotten sick of it yet. I actually just sang this today to a kid I'm nannying.

Plus, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford and Sons (ugh) and Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zero's were all in a film called "Big Easy Express" where they rode the rails between San Francisco and New Orleans, playing concerts along the way. Hipster is now taking us back to the 1890s and I couldn't be more stoked.