Apple Bread Pudding

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner and I was struggling to figure out a dessert we could take with us, rather than just the obligatory bottle of wine. Historical evidence over the years does let me know what I am not capable of - baking. Baking is a little too precise for me. I am more of the ,"throw a little bit of this" and "a little bit of that" kind of a girl. So, I tried baking cookies two months ago. What a disaster that was. Some of the cookies were burnt, some underbaked. The cookies definitely needed more sugar and everything ended up in the trash can. Also, dessert is definitely not my forte. I actually avoid making dessert, because I am the only one who ends up finishing it in my house. Who needs the extra calories?

And so I ended up browsing "food and wine" for something I could make. My partner likes apple pie, and I definitely wanted to make something he would appreciate. I have made bread pudding in the past. But this one was different. It turned out light and fluffy, with a flavor that reminded me of apple pie. So I found this recipe, which Tre Wilcox from "Top Chef" had made in one of the seasons. Here is a link to the recipe

http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/apple-and-brioche-bread-pudding

He just toasted brioche and cored the apples, which he then baked in vanilla anglais. Vanilla anglais is heavy on egg yolk. The pudding was deemed as heavy and I can understand why. Vanilla anglais is great on it's own, and works well with cakes and fruit. However, further baking it would make it denser.

However, Gail Simmons modified the recipe. She cooked the apples in calvados, she also lightened the custard. I love the idea of using brioche as the bread base for the pudding. Brioche is a light, slightly sweet, eggy bread and also makes as an excellent bread for french toast. The difference between using plain white bread and brioche is huge. This is the Gail Simmons recipe I followed ,

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/apple-bread-pudding

I used a lesser amount of bread. I had a loaf of brioche; I used only three fourths of the loaf; I think the custard needed more sugar; I cooked the apples for more than one and a half minutes after adding the calvados. Here is the original recipe with my modifications in bold .

1 pound brioche, cut into 1-inch pieces – (12 cups of bread) I used 8 cups of bread.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large Granny Smith apples—peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar (I used ¾ cup sugar for the custard and ¼ cup brown sugar for the apples. In the future I will add an extra 2 tbspn sugar to the custard)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup Calvados or other brandy ( I used Calvados)
4 large eggs, beaten ( I make sure that these are at room temperature)
3 cups milk ( I used 2 ½ cups milk and ½ cup cream)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped ( I used pure vanilla extract)
Whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving (I made this by whipping 1 ½ cup oh heavy whipping cream, with 4 Tbspn confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. I made the cream a little sweeter, because my bread pudding was a little less sweet than what I aimed for)
Nutmeg, 1/2 cup raisins , 1/2 cup walnuts ( my additions)

1 Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the brioche on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until lightly golden and dry.
2 Similarly toast the walnuts.
3 Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter; reserve 3 tablespoons of the melted butter in a small bowl. Add the apples and 1/4 cup of the sugar (use brown sugar here ) to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are golden and softened, about 15 minutes. ( I did so for 12 minutes) Stir in the cinnamon. ( I also added nutmeg) Remove from the heat and add the Calvados. Return the skillet to the heat and cook until the sauce is syrupy, about 1 minute. I cooked for an addition 3-4 minutes, till the smell of alcohol was not as pronounced.
4 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar. ( I think an extra 2 tbspn sugar will be better) Add the vanilla essence, raisins and walnuts. Add the brioche and apples and toss until evenly coated. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the brioche to absorb the custard.
5 Brush an 8-by-11-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the reserved melted butter. Add the bread pudding and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the custard is set and the top is golden. Let the bread pudding cool slightly, and then serve with whipped cream or crème fraîche.