Challah Bread Pudding “Soufflé”
MAKES ONE 9 BY 13-INCH (23 BY 33CM) “SOUFFLÉ”; SERVES 12 TO 15
Soufflé is for those who like to live on the wild side. Though it can be the star of the party, it’s unreliable and—here comes the punch line—it may let you down. So if you’re looking for a dessert you can count on—something you can turn to when the priority is feeding a lot of people rather than putting on a show—make this “soufflé” instead. Assemble it the day or morning before a party. Then, while dinner is on the table, put it in the oven, where it will puff and inflate like a sail catching the wind. If it deflates a little when you take it out of the oven, there’s no harm done; it will still taste fantastic. For entertaining, you might want to use a pretty casserole dish that you can bring directly to the table from the oven.
1 large loaf of challah (plain or with raisins), sliced 1 inch (2.5cm) thick
8 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups (710ml) milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup (100g) sugar, plus more for sprinkling
½ cup (75g) raisins (optional)
Ground cinnamon
Caramel or vanilla ice cream, for serving
1. Butter a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33cm) baking pan.
2. Fit all of the challah slices into the prepared pan. No need to get fancy—just smoosh it all in.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Stir in the raisins, then pour the mixture evenly over the challah. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar evenly over the top. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 4 to 36 hours (overnight is best). When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
4. Remove the wrapping from your baking pan and replace it with a generous amount of aluminum foil, tenting it so it doesn’t touch the surface as the “soufflé” rises. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy and golden brown under the foil.
5. Serve the “soufflé” immediately (it will fall quickly as it cools), with ice cream alongside.
SERVES 6
When you’re graced with beautiful, flavorful raspberries, don’t hide them in a crisp or a crumble. Instead, float them on a pool of light, creamy custard where they can be admired. Clafoutis is a cross between a tart and a flan—with set, brown edges and a jiggly, gooey center—yet it’s less intimidating to make than either. Try whipping up clafoutis when you’re in the mood for pot de crème or crème brûlée. It’s slightly sweet, slightly eggy, and very French sounding.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (240ml) half-and-half
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar, preferably vanilla sugar (see tip below)
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (190g) fresh raspberries
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Brush a 9-inch (23cm) pie plate with the melted butter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla sugar, and almond extract. Add the flour and whisk just until smooth, being careful not to overmix. Pour the batter into the prepared pie plate and scatter the raspberries evenly over the top.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the clafoutis is just set and the surface is golden brown. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
How to Make Scented Sugar at Home
To give this dessert a lovely, subtle vanilla flavor, try baking with vanilla-scented sugar: with a butter knife, scrape the seeds out of half of a vanilla bean that’s been cut lengthwise; then, use your fingers to rub the seeds into the sugar until it’s speckled and fragrant. Keep any extra vanilla sugar on hand for anytime you want to add a special touch to your baked goods.
SERVES 10 TO 12
If you were to cross sticky toffee pudding with pancakes and maple syrup, you’d get pouding chômeur, a buttery biscuit submerged in a bath of maple syrup and cream. This French-Canadian confection, with a name that translates to “unemployed person’s pudding,” is made from ingredients that were inexpensive and abundant when the recipe was first created in Québec. It’s easy to prepare: you can mix the dough in just 10 minutes. Then, after chilling it for a day, all you have to do is drop the dough into ramekins, pour the syrup and cream overtop, and bake. As the liquid boils in the oven, it poaches and glazes the dough. It’s an impressive no-stress dessert to serve at a dinner party for 10, but if you prefer bigger portions, bake the pudding in 6 large ramekins and increase the baking time to 25 minutes.
⅔ cup (150g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 eggs
2⅓ cups (290g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups (475ml) maple syrup
2 cups (475ml) heavy cream
Whipped cream, for serving
1. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the flour and baking powder and stir until completely incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours.
2. About 1 hour before you plan to serve the pudding, preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
3. Combine the maple syrup and cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Immediately remove from the heat.
4. Divide the dough among ten to twelve small (4-ounce/120ml) ramekins; it should fill the ramekins about halfway. Pour in the syrup mixture, dividing it evenly among the ramekins, but make sure it doesn’t come any closer than ½ inch (1.3cm) from the rim; any fuller and it will boil over.
5. Put the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Baked Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk and Honey
SERVES 8 TO 10
Creamy and soothing rice pudding is as enjoyable eaten warm in front of a fire as it is eaten cold for breakfast the next morning. But this isn’t your typical rendition; it’s made in the oven, not on top of the stove, and it uses coconut milk rather than dairy, which gives it a rich, almost tropical taste. Because you can let the pudding do its own thing in the oven, you’ll have plenty of time to put together the coconut-date topping, which, by the way, is just as good on oatmeal or yogurt as it is on this dessert.
Pudding
⅓ cup (65g) medium-grain white rice
2 (13 ½-ounce/378ml) cans full-fat coconut milk
½ cup (120ml) honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Generous pinch of salt
Topping
½ cup (40g) unsweetened dried coconut flakes
½ cup (45g) sliced almonds
3 medjool dates, pitted
Generous pinch of ground nutmeg
Small pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Butter a deep baking dish measuring about 2 quarts (2 L)—the exact size doesn’t matter.
2. To make the pudding, stir together all of the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into the prepared baking dish.
3. Bake for 30 minutes, then stir. Repeat this two more times, stirring at the end of each 30-minute interval. Toward the end of this time, the pudding will begin to thicken and look like, well, pudding. After the third time you stir, at 90 minutes, start stirring at 10-minute intervals. Each time, check the consistency by letting a bit of the pudding cool slightly on the back of a spoon and then drawing a finger through it. The pudding is done when it looks thick and creamy and the track from your finger remains. Continue to bake and stir at 10-minute intervals until the pudding is done. The total baking time may be up to 2 hours.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Toast the coconut and almonds together in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden. Let cool a bit.
5. Coarsely chop the dates, then put them in a food processor. Add the coconut, almonds, nutmeg, and salt and pulse until the mixture has a coarse crumbly texture; alternatively, you can finely chop everything by hand.
6. Serve the rice pudding warm or cold, topped with the coconut mixture. If cooling the pudding, stir it occasionally as it cools to prevent a skin from forming.
SERVES 4 TO 6
This is what to make when you’re in need of something that’s just the right amount of impressive. A twist on a classic lemon pudding cake, these sponge cups are a little like a layman’s soufflé, using some similar processes like beating the separated eggs for the batter and baking the cups in a water bath. When these little light-as-air cakes—each in a pool of lemony custard—come out of the oven, you’ll feel accomplished. You’ll know they were a breeze to make, but no one else has to.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups (355ml) milk
Thin slices of lemon, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Put the butter, sugar, flour, lemon zest and juice, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or creaming vigorously with a wooden spoon, beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir into the butter-sugar mixture, whisking by hand as you pour.
4. Put the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or whisking vigorously by hand, whip until stiff peaks form (see this page). Gently fold the egg whites into the sugar mixture. Since the sugar mixture is loose and liquidy, your batter might be a bit lumpy after folding in the egg whites—do not be alarmed.
5. Pour the mixture into four to six ramekins or individual soufflé dishes. Put them in baking pan and pour in enough hot water to reach about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
6. Bake for 45 minutes; when done, the sponge cups will be lightly browned on top, with a layer of lemon custard beneath.
7. Let cool slightly before serving, either in the ramekins or turned out onto serving plates. Garnish with a slice of lemon.
Sour Cream Cheesecake with Chocolate Cookie Crust
MAKES ONE 9-INCH (23CM) CHEESECAKE; SERVES 10 TO 12
This cheesecake, which comes to us from Amanda’s mother, Judy, has a dual personality—a silky, tangy sour cream layer atop a traditional cheesecake. Amanda describes this dessert as “a middlebrow cheesecake with highbrow aspirations.” Don’t be intimidated by the fact that there’s more than one layer here; even though this cheesecake has more complex flavors and textures than your usual suspect, it’s just as easy to make.
The top shouldn’t crack—if it does, take the cheesecake out of the oven sooner the next time you make it. By the way, for the chocolate cookie crumbs in the crust, we recommend Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers.
Crust
1 ½ cups (165g) chocolate cookie crumbs
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup (60g) salted butter, melted
Filling
16 ounces (450g) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
⅔ cup (135g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
1 ½ cups (355ml) sour cream
¼ cup (50g) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. To make the crust, put the cookie crumbs, cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl and mix until the crumbs are evenly moist. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch (23cm) round springform pan and press it evenly across the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5cm) up the sides.
3. To make the filling, put the cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer or stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon, beat until soft and creamy. Add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and beat until very smooth.
4. Carefully pour the filling over the crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, until the filling is set enough to jiggle when gently shaken and the edges look slightly puffed and golden.
5. Meanwhile, make the topping, stirring together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
6. After the cheesecake has baked for 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and turn the oven temperature up to 450°F (230°C). Gently spread the sour cream mixture over the filling, then return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for 7 minutes longer. Let cool completely before slicing and serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
MAKES ONE 9 BY 13-INCH (23 BY 33CM) CAKE; SERVES 10 TO 12
When we made this in our test kitchen, our entire staff kept returning to the pan until, scoop by scoop, the enormous cake was gone. The amount of liquid this cake soaks up almost defies the laws of science. It’s rich and, yes, moist—and probably the coconuttiest dessert you’ve ever had. The lime adds a citrusy brightness that helps keep the dish from being too sweet or too heavy.
Cake
½ cup (110g) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 ¼ cups (155g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (30g) coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 eggs
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Soaking Mixture
1 (13 ½-ounce/378ml) can coconut milk
1 (14-ounce/397g) can sweetened condensed milk
1 ½ cups (355ml) whole milk
Toppings
1 cup (95g) sweetened shredded dried coconut
2 cups (475ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
Zest of 1 lime, finely grated
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9 by 13-inch (23 by 33cm) baking pan.
2. To make the cake, combine the butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
3. Using an electric mixer or stirring vigorously by hand, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth and lighter in color. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the flour mixture in two additions, mixing just until the batter is smooth. Fold in the butter mixture just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Prepare the soaking mixture by mixing the three milks together. Use a toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the warm cake. Leaving the cake in the pan, slowly pour the soaking mixture over it. It’s going to look like a lot of milk, and the cake may even float up briefly. Don’t panic! The cake will absorb about 95 percent of that milk. Let cool completely.
6. While the cake soaks, to prepare the toppings: spread the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. When the cake is baked, pop the coconut into the oven. Check on it and stir every 3 to 4 minutes; it should be toasted in 8 to 9 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, put the cream, sugar, and lime zest in a cold bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or whisking vigorously, whip until stiff peaks form (see this page). Spread the whipped cream over the cake, then sprinkle the cooled coconut over the top. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
