Skip to main content

Butterscotch™ Pear Bread Pudding #FamilyBakingChallenge #MelissasProduce #Sponsored

   This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Melissa's Produce.
I received complimentary product for the purpose of review and recipe development,
but all opinions are honest and they are my own. This page may contain affiliate links.

When I received a package from Melissa's Produce* to take part in the 2020 #FamilyBakingChallenge I was intrigued immediately by the Butterscotch™ Pears. So, I picked their Butterscotch™ Pear Bread Pudding as my first recipe to tackle. 


I am already late to the party; the challenge started three weeks ago. And I, of course, went completely off the rails, swapping out bread to use up some leftovers, substituting eggnog for milk, and adding in lots of holiday spices. Then I made a mahogany sage-infused caramel to pour over the pudding before adding the pears. But this was a smash hit with my trio. I'll get to my recipe in a moment. But, first, a little bit about the fruit that inspired this: Butterscotch™ Pears.


Butterscotch™ Pears are a type of Asian pear that Melissa's Produce carries. Asian pears are also referred to as Japanese pears, Chinese pears, Korean pears, Taiwanese pears, apple pears, zodiac pears, three-halves pears, papples, and sand pears. My grandmother used to always have them in her fruit bowl and we called them 'apple pears.' With paper thin skin, these fruits are voluptuous, firm and crisp. In researching these, I realize that I have erroneously thought these were a hybrid between and apple and a pear. It turns out that these have been cultivated in China and Japan for over three millennia and are a fruit closely related to the pears of Europe. 

Note: Start by infusing the cream with the fresh sage leaves because the longer you leave them, the more pronounced the flavor. After you have strained out the leave, start the pudding.

Ingredients makes one 8" bread pudding

Bread Pudding
  • 5 cups leftover bread (I used a soft wheat), torn into 1" pieces
  • 1 Butterscotch™ Pear, cored and cubed, approximately 2 cups
  • 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar
  • 1 cup eggnog
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used my homemade vanilla extract)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • Also needed: 8" baking dish, parchment paper

Sage Caramel
  • 1/2 cup organic heavy whipping cream
  • 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 cup organic granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt

Topping
  • 1 Butterscotch™ Pear, cored and sliced into thin wedges
  • 2 Tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • Also needed: heavy skillet 

Procedure

Sage Caramel
Add the cream and sage to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let the sage infuse into the cream for 15 to 20 minutes; the longer you leave it, the more pronounced the flavor. Once it's cool, discard the leaves. 

Bread Pudding
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, eggnog, and eggs until the well-combined.

In a large mixing bowl, add in all of the remaining bread pudding ingredients. Pour the egg mixture over the top, then use a wooden spoon or your hands to incorporate all of the ingredients together. Everything should be moistened and evenly coated with the eggs and spices.

Turn the mixture into your prepared pan and place the pudding in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. In the meantime, make your caramel and topping.

Sage Caramel
In a medium skillet, heat the sugar until it melts and turns a honey color. Swirl the pan to help the sugar dissolve evenly.


When the sugar is completely dissolved and caramelized, pour in the cream very carefully. It will bubble up violently when the cold cream hits the hot sugar. Use a whisk to incorporate the cream. When everything is smooth, add in the salt and remove from the heat.

Topping
Melt butter in a heavy skillet and sprinkle the bottom with dark brown sugar.

Arrange the pear slices in the pan in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until the fruit begins to caramelize, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Flip the slices over and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. The pears should be nicely golden and softened in the center.

Pull the bread pudding out of the oven, after 25 minutes.

Drizzle the caramel over the top, then arrange the caramelized pear slices over the pudding.

Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.


The bread pudding should be firm, the caramel bubbling, and the pears a beautiful burnished color.


Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Lift the parchment paper and place on a serving platter.


Serve while warm. My family thought it needed (1) more caramel for drizzling over the top and (2) a huge mound of unsweetened whipped cream. They didn't get either...just the Butterscotch™ Pear Bread Pudding. Maybe next time!


I can't wait to bake through more of the produce that I was shipped. I'm thinking about using the Winter Crunch® Grapes next. Stay tuned...

You may find Melissa's...
on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram

*Disclosure: I received product for free from the sponsor for recipe development, however, I have received no additional compensation for my post. My opinion is 100% my own and 100% accurate.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce