Peach Melba Bread Pudding

The peaches have been so delicious this summer. Every time I'm in the supermarket I buy them for our snack and sometimes I add them to a tossed salad.

Even though we enjoy them fresh and cold I wanted to use them in some type of dessert. Peach melba came to mind so I began searching for an easy recipe and then I thought why not add them to a bread pudding.

I've been inspired recently by several bread puddings that have been popping up on a few of the blog hops I visited this summer. It just so happens that bread pudding is one of our favorite desserts -- now is as good a time as any to treat ourselves to a delicious dessert.

Bread pudding can be very rich and high in calories - the main reason we don't have it too often - so I hunted for a 'low'er calorie recipe. Actually I was surprised to find there were quite a lot of so-called low fat or lower calorie bread pudding recipes.

I chose one from EatingWell magazine -- how bad could this recipe be? I made a few tweaks since I was adding the peaches and wanted to enhance the flavors with complimentary spices. Nutmeg and cloves can be a little overpowering for my palate so I used very little of each. You can use more if you wish.

Peach Bread Pudding Topped With Peach Melba
Ingredients

• 3 large or 4 medium peaches, cut in chunks
• 4 cups stale bread cut in cubes
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch of cloves
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup of  fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries
• 1-2 TBLS. sugar in the raw
• 1 oz. sweet dessert wine, or rum (optional)
• vanilla ice cream OR whipped cream for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8"x8" baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and spices. Add the bread cubes with half of the cubed peaches and stir well. Let the bread soak for about 5 minutes then pour the entire mixture in the baking dish.
3. Bake the pudding for about 1 hour. Test by inserting a sharp knife in the center to be sure it comes out clean. If not, continue to bake until set
4. While the pudding is baking prepare the raspberries by adding 1-2 TBLS. of sugar and, if using, the sweet wine or rum to the raspberries and let macerate for 20 minutes.  Add the remaining peaches and stir well to combine.
5. To serve, scoop out the pudding into individual dishes.  Top the pudding with the raspberry and peach mixture.  Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the total peach melba experience.

This recipe was very easy to prepare. It didn't take more than 15 minutes of prep and clean-up was a breeze since everything went into the dishwasher. It was well worth it for a scrumptious dessert!


Mangia!
Winelady Cooks

I've shared this with:
Hearth and Soul
Turning the Table Thursday