RECIPE: BESSIE'S CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

This recipe was shared with me by my good friend and former producer, Jason Burnett. You may remember him from the Homemade podcast. He interviewed me for one of the episodes. Meet Martie: Homemade Podcast Episode 14: Meet Martie Duncan

Bessie was Jason’s beloved grandmother and this is her recipe, with a few tweaks. It is my favorite bread pudding for the holidays; try it and you’ll serve it every year.

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING 

1 large baguette, brioche loaf or other bread like leftover rolls, torn or cut into cubes

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

2/3 cup Craisins or dried cranberries

5 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange zest

scant pinch kosher salt

1 quart heavy cream (or you can use half and half)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated is best)

 Slice or tear bread into 1" cubes allow to sit out 2 hours.

Pour Grand Marnier over cranberries and allow to soak for 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350˚ F.

Add eggs and sugar to an extra-large bowl; whisk together well. Add vanilla, zest, salt and cream. Add the dried cranberries plus Grand Marnier. Mix well. Add bread. Allow to soak for an hour, pushing it down into the liquid.  

When ready to bake, butter a large heatproof casserole dish. Check the bread by pulling a cube apart to make sure it is soaked through and not dry in the center. Remove the bread from the liquid, one large spoonful at a time and place into the prepared casserole dish. Once you have added all the bread, pour the liquid over it. Push any exposed cranberries into the bread because they will burn.

Put the dish into the preheated 350˚ F oven and bake for 35-45 minutes or until it is set and golden brown. How long you bake it will depend on how deep your dish is. You will need less time if it is a shallow dish.

RECIPE: SOUTHERN SNOWBALL COOKIES

SOUTHERN SNOWBALL TEA COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Confectioners sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg *optional

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Additional powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually blend this into the butter mixture. Fold in the pecans, making sure they are distributed throughout the dough.

Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place each ball on the baking sheet with space between each one.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies are lightly golden; the tops will be pale. Cool slightly. While the cookies are still warm, roll each cookie in the Confectioners sugar. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Before serving, dust again with Confectioners sugar.

RECIPE: POMEGRANATE RASPBERRY CHRISTMAS PUNCH

Growing up, we always had a sherbet punch for holidays and birthdays. It was simple. The only ingredients were orange or lime sherbet and chilled ginger ale, but it was served in a punchbowl making it seem so elegant. Here’s an updated, boozy version of that old school holiday favorite, make fresh and new with raspberry and rosemary.

 POMEGRANATE RASPBERRY CHRISTMAS PUNCH

INGREDIENTS

2 cups pomegranate juice

1 quart white cranberry juice

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups Chambord liqueur

1 (750 ml) bottle raspberry vodka

3-4 pints raspberry sorbet or sherbet

2-3 quarts ginger ale, chilled

5 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 cups frozen raspberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the first five ingredients in a large container. Chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, pour into a punchbowl. Add 2 bottles ginger ale or add more to your taste. Scoop large scoops of the sorbet until you have enough to fill the surface. Save some sorbet and ginger ale to add in as it melts. Add fresh rosemary and the frozen raspberries for garnish.