Dessert: Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding with Bourbon-Pecan Hard Sauce

Recipe by Grace Parisi These creamy pumpkin bread puddings are baked in pie dishes so they're like a hybrid dessert; the lattice top is actually made of strips of butternut squash.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon

Health and fertility benefits of Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding with Bourbon-Pecan Hard Sauce

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060).

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter
melted butter
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 lb. challah bread
1 butternut squash
1 1/4 c. sugar
4 large eggs
3 c. whole milk
1 can pure pumpkin purée
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 tbsp. bourbon
1/2 c. chopped toasted pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch, deep-dish glass or ceramic pie plates. Spread the challah on a large baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden.
Cut the neck from the butternut squash. Peel it and cut it lengthwise into two 3/4-inch-thick slabs. Very thinly slice the slabs into long, thin strips on a mandoline. Peel, seed, and cut all of the remaining squash into 1/2-inch dice.
In a very large nonstick skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the diced squash and cook over high heat until lightly browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender and glossy, about 3 minutes longer. Let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of sugar with the eggs, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Add the sautéed squash and the challah and gently toss to combine. Spoon the mixture into the buttered pie plates and top each with a loose lattice pattern of the squash strips. Brush the strips with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cover with parchment and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer, until the tops are golden and the puddings are set. Let the puddings rest for 15 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk the remaining butter with the confectioners' sugar, bourbon, and pecans. Serve the pudding with the sauce. Looking for more dessert ideas? Check out our homemade chocolate chip cookie recipes, apple pie recipes, and chocolate cake recipes.

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