sugar, eggs, butter, milk, and stale bread....what's not to love. the tour started two days ago and i decided it will be a "bread pudding across america tour." playing drums for about two hours a night for two months straight and getting in a 5k run every other day, i had no qualms about putting back some serious pudding. With the help of a few key websites, some local input and a little intuition, my adventures led me to sample seventeen of America's favorite day-old-bread-delights. the criterion was simple: eat as much bread pudding as possible and try to remain objective...just the facts. Here are some of the hightlights...you be the judge;
Ale Mary's Krispy Cream Bread Pudding - Baltimore, MD.
This tasted like 3,000 calories of pure sugary goodness. Krispy Cream doughnuts sandwiched between soft white bread with cinnamon notes. topped with Bourbon and caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a dollop of french vanilla ice cream. sweet, rich, & heavy. paired well with a scotch ale.
Mama Ricotta's - Charlotte, NC
It was restaurant week in Charlotte and it just so happened that bread pudding was one of the prix fixe deserts on the list. bingo! Warm moist white bread (good soak) w/ raisins(i must admit, i don't like raisins in my bread pudding), topped w/ a salty carmel sauce & dusted with powdered sugar. served w/ vanilla and cinnamon ice cream and a caramel sugar crisp garnish. nice hint of butterscotch with a good use of salt in a dessert.
Mary Mac's Tea Room - Atlanta, GA
white bread with baked apple chunks (similar to cobbler). nice buttery texture with a sweet baked brown sugar taste. served in a sweet red wine sauce with a baked crust top. very southern style bread pudding.
House of Blues - Houston, TX
White chocolate banana bread pudding. a dense thick mound of bread with a baked banana flavor. served with vanilla ice cream, white chocolate sauce and a mint garnish. a bit dry, quite thick, and not overly sweet.
Beasy's On the Creek - Ashland, OR
This pudding came out HOT! very buttery and served with generous portion of bourbon sauce, whipped cream, and some good old raisins. bread was quite moist and surprisingly light with a butter & carmel finish.
Etta's - Seattle, WA
my first brioche pudding and quite light in weight. nice notes of cinnamon baked into the semi-moist and soft textured bread. served with caramel & vanilla ice cream with a garnish of blackberries. the berries added a nice depth of flavor. perfect portion size for an after dinner desert.
Sweet Life - Eugene, OR
Pre-made and served heated up by microwave. the microwave really brought out the butter. served with caramel sauce and whipped cream. the bread was light with a nice fluffy quality. Firm baked top with baked in walnuts added good texture. Simple and a bit dry. disappointing after the hype that surrounded this place.
Tin Angel Cafe - Salt Lake City, UT
quite an interesting bread pudding. made from compacted croissants. fresh berries baked into the bread. caramel & creme anglaise sauce (rich and creamy). baked brown sugar nut topping. nice balance, but the bread could have been a bit more moist.
Gumbo's - Austin, TX
Southern style bread pudding with a firm, well soaked and set bread. served with a whiskey anglaise sauce with a hint of cinnamon along side vanilla ice cream and mint garnish. subtle, with a nice balance of integrated flavors.
Mothers - New Orleans, LA
comfort food style bread pudding. not the prettiest presentation, but tasted damn good. very soft in texture and cooked with a lot of butter. crispy baked outer crust served with a whiskey / toffee sauce. sweet brown sugar finish. down home style.
The Tomato Head - Knoxville, TN
Sour Apple baked bread pudding. fluffy light bread with a oven baked flavor. a little warm milk served in the bottom of the bowl was nice touch. baked sugar topped crust. good textures and balance of flavors.
The Little Fountain Cafe - Washington, DC
a Bon Appetit recipe alumni. another brioche bread budding in a strong rum & cinnamon sauce and some baked-in chocolate chips. a rich buttery flavor with brown sugar notes, the firm, but soft set bread was topped with a white chocolate drizzle. chocolate chips were melt-in-your-mouth consistency which complimented the already luscious pudding. worthy of my visit 10 minutes before taking the stage.
The Dessert Truck - NYC
It's funny how things come full circle. while talking to my wife on the phone about a week before the end of tour, she was watching Throwdown with Bobby Flay and this episodes "throwdown" just happened to be about bread pudding...guess who won that "throwdown?"....yep, that's right, The Dessert Truck. While home from tour and walking the streets of Manhattan, the The Dessert Truck and I just so happened to cross paths.
Warm Chocolate bread pudding w/ vanilla sauce(real vanilla bean)...there is an option of bacon custard sauce, but steering clear of the swine, i opted for the latter. warm chocolate(good quality cocoa), almost molten like, center was a perfect consistency to magnify the bread pudding's creamy texture. topped w/ fresh whipped cream and a chocolate crisp this rich and lightly eggy bread pudding was highly delectable.
If you don't know, now you know.
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