Bread Pudding

The best bread pudding in St. Louis is…

by Stephanie on April 4, 2012

in Bread Pudding

The votes are in! You voted on my Facebook page. You voted on Jess’s Facebook page. And we’ve tallied up the votes:

Remy’s: 2

McCormick & Schmick’s: 3

Annie Gunn’s: 12

Herbie’s: 12

That’s right – it’s a tie! Congrats to Annie Gunn’s & Herbie’s!

Now that the announcement is out of the way, we can move on to my thoughts (this is my blog after all, right?).

I’ve kept this bottled up inside for the past week, because I didn’t want to influence anyone’s vote. But I wanted Remy’s to win. Don’t get me wrong – each of the finalists had good bread pudding. But there was just something about the golden raisin bread pudding at Remy’s that stole my heart upon first bite. And nothing has been able to compare, in my opinion.

And look – Remy’s placed last! I guess it just goes to show that everyone’s tastes are different.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Congrats again to Annie Gunn’s and Herbie’s!

I’m already thinking about my next food challenge…any ideas? I have a few up my sleeve…Winking smile

{ 9 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge: Jess’s Top 3!

by Stephanie on March 28, 2012

in Bread Pudding

Hey friends! Stephanie here. So you read my overview of the Bread Pudding Challenge this morning, right? Now it’s time for my buddy Jess (and her blogging partner in crime) at Show Me The Sugar to share her thoughts! Thanks again, Jess, for doing this challenge with me — it’s been so much fun to get a different take on this amazing dessert.

With no further ado, here’s Jess’s take on the Bread Pudding Challenge, as well as her top 3 picks.

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After ten weeks of tasty Bread Puddings all over town, our heads are spinning in brioche, whiskey sauces and whipped creams!  For those of you who don’t know, we over at Show Me The Sugar do NOT normally share our opinions on desserts, we just try to describe them as objectively as possible so YOU can be the critic.  But today we are taking off the “objective hat” just for a tad to share our honest opinions of some of St. Louis’ most popular bread puddings.  Though I should note there are probably tens if not hundreds of puddings we haven’t tried, so in no way is this the conclusive list.  But without further ado we present our synopsis of yum. In the order we tried them.

Remy’s

Remys bread pudding

This one was a strong bready classic.  We loved the hardened brandy sauce, though I wish it were stronger in flavor.  Also our bread pudding didn’t arrive warm enough to melt it, so we were eating chunks of it.  It had lots of apples and raisins, which translates to “Stuff-in-the-stuff” for me personally.   It was very cinnamony, not too mushy, and a solid traditional.

Café Eau

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I apologize for the confusion in advance.  Because if you read Steph’s opinion of this you have a clear picture painted and, it isn’t pretty.  Then here I come with the following…  “We loved it!”  Now I will admit, I didn’t think it was the greatest representation of Bread Pudding, in fact they could’ve called it something else entirely and I wouldn’t have thought of bread pudding at all. Also for those who hate the creamy custardy texture, you wouldn’t like it. That being said it was smooth and creamy and tangy and just crisp on the outside, and we devoured it.

Harvest

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Definitely on the more bready side of bread pudding, but not dry. Like BREAD pudding.   Firm and filling. Good brioche base and we liked the sauce (though it could’ve been stronger).  The currants didn’t add much or take away, but I personally liked that there were no add ins. This was the kind of bread pudding I would serve to a friend who had never heard of Bread pudding, so they could start with a good basis, simple and classic.

Bridge Tap House

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This was another case of, “if they’d called it something else…”   If they called it a banana bread cake, I would’ve really liked it.  Very moist and dense, but I didn’t really get the “Bread Pudding impression” as I ate it.  Very banana-y flavored, and it had the caramelized bananas on top.  The coffee flavor scared me (not much of a coffee drinker) but it wasn’t strong at all.  It wasn’t bad, but I must say the whole team LOVED the brownie and the chocolate cake there.

Cyrano’s

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It’s a restaurant famed for its dessert.  This cute café is home to a bread pudding that’s a lot more on the pudding side. Like bread PUDDING.  Very buttery and “caramelly” and the cherry Bourbon sauce was a nice addition.  No other add-ins, but lots of fresh fluffy whipped cream.

Annie Gunn’s

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All I can say is I swear they are not paying me for this. Maker’s Mark caramel sauce…a lot (of both sauce and booze).  Moist, thick, rich, dense, whole slices of bread (rather than pieces). Well balanced flavors and generous sizing made for a great treat the next day too! If you hate bananas, they didn’t go crazy with them, but I love them so booze-soaked bananas were a plus.

Eleven Eleven Mississippi

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We missed the white chocolate on this pudding.  But we really thought the caramel sauce stood out here. Like the caramel sauce on popcorn, unique and yummy.  This was a bready pudding that was moister on the outside.

McCormick & Schmick’s

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This was a smooth creamy chocolate Bread Pudding.  It had to be good to make Stephanie break her “no chain” rule.  This was worth breaking rules and diets alike.  It reminded me of what would happen if you combined bread pudding and chocolate soufflé.

Herbie’s Vintage 72

Photo Mar 05, 5 42 15 PM

This was crispy on the outside, and melty and moist in the inside. It was generously spiked with Bailey’s.  It had no sauce, but just a drizzle of chocolate.  Not too dry, not too soggy.  Yum…just yum

Frazer’s

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We liked that it was crisp on the outside and moist on the inside.  The sauce was pretty thin and not very strongly flavored, but the pudding could stand on its own.

Overall I think our top 3 are

Annie Gunn’s

Herbie’s Vintage 72

And I’m torn between Café Eau and McCormick & Schmick’s, neither is a very traditional version, but new and different.  I think I’ll say McCormick’s for number 3.  And I’ll give Café Eau a shout out for most unique take.

There you have it St. Louis, that’s our take, what do you think? Who wins the crown of “best BP” in town?

{ 2 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge: My top 3!

by Stephanie on March 28, 2012

in Bread Pudding

Good morning and happy Wednesday! How are you doing? Ready to chat about food?

So ever since I finished up Week 10 of the Bread Pudding Challenge, there’s been one question that folks have been asking me:

When are you going to announce the winner?

It makes me smile that people are so excited about the Bread Pudding Challenge — I’ve had so much fun doing it, and I know Jess has too. We’re just as excited to announce the top 3 as you are to hear who they are!

Did you catch that? That’s right — Jess and I aren’t picking the winner (although we both have our favorites, trust me!); you are. This week, we’re announcing our top 3 choices; we’re each going to put up polls on our Facebook pages. The poll will be up for at least a week; during this time, we invite you to check out our top 3 choices for bread pudding and vote for your favorite.

This time next week, we’ll announce the winner for the best bread pudding in St. Louis. Sound good? Alright. :)

Before I announce my top three choices for bread pudding, I’ll do a quick rundown of each place I visited (in order). Ready? Let’s go!

Week 1: Remy’s

Who could forget Remy’s Warm Apple and Golden Raisin Bread Pudding?

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This decadent creation was definitely one of my favorites; I couldn’t resist the sugary sweet caramel and brandy hard sauce! Even though I’m not a huge fan of "stuff" in my bread pudding, this was so good that I didn’t mind the raisins and apples. Did I mention that the texture of this BP was pretty darn perfect?

Week 2: Cafe Eau

Oh, Cafe Eau. Or is it Cafe No? I was not a fan of this Gooey Butter Bread Pudding at all.

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I’m big on texture, and this BP failed big time. It was crispy on the outside and — true to its name — gooey in the middle. Not good. Aside from the texture, I wasn’t crazy about the flavor of this bread pudding; it was quite bitter!

Week 3: Harvest

Ahh, Harvest. When it comes to bread pudding in St. Louis, Harvest is often at the top of the list. They are definitely known for their bread pudding, and for good reason — the stuff is awesome.

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The french toast-like texture makes my toes curl, and the bourbon sauce? To die for! I’m not a huge fan of the currants that garnish this BP, but since it’s not baked into the dessert, they’re easy to avoid.

Week 4: Bridge Tap House

Another winner! For a while, the Banana Espresso Bread Pudding at Bridge was near the top of my list.

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I love how dense and rich this bread pudding is. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll go nuts for this BP. There was a strong banana flavor in this bread pudding, which was nice; the caramelized sliced banana on top of the BP added to the awesomeness of this dessert. If you don’t like your bread pudding swimming in caramel sauce, this is the one for you.

Week 5: Cyrano’s

Once upon a time, before I really became a bread pudding fanatic, I adored the Caramel Brioche Bread Pudding at Cyrano’s. And so did the rest of St. Louis; it’s consistently at the top of many ‘Best Bread Pudding’ lists.

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Sadly, which the bread pudding at Cyrano’s is decent, it’s no longer one of my favorites. The texture was off, and this bread pudding was approaching that custard-like stage that I’m not a fan of. The flavor was good, but there are much better bread puddings out there, in my opinion. Sorry, Cyrano’s!

Week 6: Annie Gunn’s

Week six was a turning point in the Bread Pudding Challenge for me. After I took a bite of Annie’s Banana Bread Pudding, I realized that picking a winner was going to be difficult. This was perfect, in every sense of the word.

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The texture? Spot on — I love BP with a french toast texture. The flavor? Amazing; the Maker’s Mark caramel sauce was like nothing I’ve ever tasted, and the BP was swimming in it! If I could marry this bread pudding, I would. Can someone make that legal?

Week 7: Eleven Eleven Mississippi

Another great week of bread pudding. The White Chocolate and Pecan Bread Pudding at Eleven Eleven rocked my world.

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Although I couldn’t taste any hints of white chocolate in this BP, the texture (perfectly firm) and taste (caramel!) made me one happy chick. The standout in this bread pudding was the caramel sauce; it didn’t have a thin and runny consistency like the others. No — this was thick and sticky. So good.

Week 8: McCormick & Schmick’s

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I operate by two rules: 1. Always keep it real (even when my opinion is unpopular!), and 2. No chains. Well, I had to break the second rule during Week 8. Sorry, friends — I’ll do just about anything for good BP! And boy, did McCormick & Schmick’s deliver! Their Chocolate Bailey’s Bread Pudding was some of the best bread pudding I’ve ever had in my life.

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As I was eating this chocolatey creation, I almost felt like I was cheating on ‘traditional’ BP. Why? This tasted like a rich brownie. The texture of this bread pudding was a little softer than I usually prefer, but I almost preferred it that way. I can’t put into words how delicious this bread pudding was!

Week 9: Herbie’s

After Week 8′s amazing BP adventure, I knew that Week 9 at Herbie’s was going to have some big shoes to fill. I ordered their bread pudding with high hopes.

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Unfortunately, while this bread pudding was decent, it wasn’t my favorite. While I do enjoy a firmer bread pudding, this was almost too firm. In fact, it was dry! Nothing about the flavor of this bread pudding wowed me, either. I’d skip this one if I were you!

Week 10: Frazer’s

And finally — Week 10! I was hoping to go out with a bang with Frazer’s BP, but I was sorely disappointed.

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This time, it was a flavor and texture issue. The flavor wasn’t remarkable — the chocolate tasted a bit bitter — and the texture? It was crispy on the top, but way too custard-y in the center. Not good! I wasn’t impressed by this at all.

So what are my top 3 choices? This was so hard to narrow down, but I did it:

1. Remy’s

2. McCormick & Schmick’s

3. Annie Gunn’s

So there you have it! 10 long weeks, thousands of calories worth of bread pudding consumed, and lots and lots of caramel. It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it, right? ;)

I invite you to make a visit to my top 3 choices; I promise you won’t be disappointed. After you decide who your favorite is, cast your vote on my Facebook page!

Later this afternoon, I’ll post Jess’s thoughts on each BP, as well as her top 3. Stay tuned!

{ 2 comments }

Doughnut Bread Pudding!

by Stephanie on March 21, 2012

in Bread Pudding, In the Kitchen

Good morning, and welcome to Wednesday! It’s officially Spring now (okay, well, yesterday was the first day!), but it really feels like Summer! Did we skip Winter and Spring this year? It’s also my dad’s birthday today! Happy Birthday, Dad!

Anyway, after 10 weeks of bread pudding you’d think I’d be sick of the stuff, but here I am, talking about it yet again. I’m still gathering my thoughts and narrowing down my choices for the top 3. The recap, along with my choices, will be on the blog next week. Watch this space!

In the meanwhile, I thought I’d try my hand at making my favorite dessert of all time.

I stumbled upon this recipe for Doughnut Bread Pudding, and I felt like it would be a winner.

I gathered my ingredients:

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Powdered sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, milk (I used vanilla soymilk), rum, cinnamon, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, cooking spray (for the pan),

And doughnuts, of course!

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Krispy Kreme doughnuts. My favorite!

 

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There’s something about the airy lightness of these doughnuts that puts a huge smile on my face. They literally melt in your mouth! I’ve been known to eat half a dozen in one sitting. Oink.

Of course, I try to eat local whenever I can, but when it comes to doughnuts, I must give in to the corporate machine. Give me my Krispy Kreme!

Anyway, the recipe is pretty straightforward. After preheating my oven to 350 degrees, I tore the doughnuts into 1-inch pieces and put them in a greased 9×5 inch pan.

 

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Then I whisked my eggs, rum, cinnamon, granulated sugar, vanilla, milk, and cream in a bowl.

 

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There’s really no way to take an attractive picture of ingredients in a bowl. Trust me, I tried.

After everything was combined, I poured the mixture over the doughnuts, making sure all of the pieces were soaked in the liquid.

 

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Soak baby, soak!

This is where I started to wonder if this recipe was going to turn out. Look at all of that liquid! I started to wonder if this bread pudding was going to be of the custard-y variety. You all know that I hate custard-like bread pudding. But I pressed on anyway.

I threw this in the oven for about an hour. The recipe said to leave it in for 45 to 50 minutes, but after 50 minutes, it was still a bit jiggly.

This is what it looked like after an hour.

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Bad photo quality aside, it really didn’t look too terrible. It was still a little bit jiggly, but I figured that once it cooled, it would solidify a bit.

While my bread pudding cooled, I worked on making the icing. This part was super easy! I mixed powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a bit of hot water in a bowl, and it made a sweet glaze. I drizzled this over the top.

Here’s the part of the post where you imagine a slice of this on a plate. My camera ate my picture, so just use your imagination.

The verdict? No bueno. Just as I suspected, the bread pudding was too custard-y for my tastes. The flavor was great, but it was super soggy.

I followed the recipe to a T, so I’m just going to assume that some people like jiggly bread pudding and leave it at that. I’m very picky when it comes to this dessert!

I think I’ll just leave bread pudding to the pros from now on. Remember the last time I made bread pudding? It was almost two years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

 

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It was good hot out of the oven, but the next day? Bad! With a capital B.

I hope you enjoyed my embarrassing foray into the kitchen! Next week, I’ll do a rundown of the 10 spots I hit for the Bread Pudding Challenge, and I’ll narrow it down to the top 3! See you then.

{ 4 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 10: Frazer’s!

by Stephanie on March 14, 2012

in American, Bread Pudding, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Pubs

Hello, friends and bread pudding lovers! If you aren’t a bread pudding lover (or at least a ‘like-r’) after 10 weeks of seeing this heavenly dessert, I don’t know what to tell you. Winking smile

So we’ve hit week 10 – the final week of me and Jess’s Bread Pudding Challenge. It’s been a crazy ride, and I’ve had so much fun running around St. Louis in search of the best Bread Pudding.

Honestly, this challenge could have gone on for 20 weeks (or more!). There are so many great spots to find this decadent dessert; it would be impossible to hit them all.

So, with no further ado, I present to you – the final week of the BP Challenge! This week I went to Frazer’s, in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis.

outside-view

(source)

Since it was such a lovely day, I made myself comfortable on their outdoor patio. Spring is not officially here, but it sure felt like it!

Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?

 

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According to the menu, this bread pudding contained white and milk chocolate, along with whiskey sauce and whipped cream.

I dug in quickly before the sun melted the whipped cream too much!

My thoughts? I wasn’t really a fan. The flavor of the bread pudding was nice; while I didn’t taste any hints of white chocolate, the milk chocolate was definitely there. It was creamy and very chocolatey. I didn’t taste any traces of whiskey sauce, either, which was rather disappointing.

The texture of this bread pudding is what really let me down. The top and bottom of the bread pudding were hard and crunchy, like they had been overcooked. The middle was just okay – it was approaching that custard-like texture that I despise. I wouldn’t describe it as custardy, but it was close.

I was hoping to end the bread pudding challenge with a bang. I had my fingers crossed that Frazer’s would knock it out of the park. I guess my hopes were just too high for this one.

So what happens from here? Next Wednesday, I will post a wrap-up, with a quick rundown of each bread pudding and my top three picks. Later that afternoon, Jess will have a guest post featured on my blog, with her thoughts on each BP, as well as her top 3.

This is where you come in. We need your help in choosing the best bread pudding in St. Louis! I’ll set up a poll on my Facebook page (feel free to chime in on twitter or in the comments section as well!), and the following week, we’ll crown the winner. Sound good? You in? I hope so!

Enjoy this Pi Day (get it? 3.14…) and I’ll see you later! Winking smile

{ 3 comments }

Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 9: Herbie’s!

March 7, 2012

Happy Wednesday! Happy March! I hate to be one of those folks that comments on the weather constantly, but I’m going to do it anyway: this weather is amazing! Yesterday’s high was in the low 70’s, and today should be the same. I could definitely get used to this. Moving on. This week is Week [...]

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Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 8: McCormick & Schmick’s

February 29, 2012

Good morning, and happy February 29th! I love leap years. They just feel special for some reason. What better way to celebrate than with some bread pudding? It’s Week 8, baby! This week, I stopped by McCormick & Schmick’s for some of the good stuff. This particular chain is located right by West County Mall [...]

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Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 7: Eleven Eleven Mississippi!

February 22, 2012

Good morning, and welcome to my second favorite day of the week: Wednesday! We’re halfway through the work week, and more importantly…it’s Bread Pudding Wednesday! I think BPW should be a holiday. What do you think? Anyway, I can’t believe we’re on Week 7 of the challenge! Just a few short weeks until me and [...]

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Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 6: Annie Gunn’s!

February 15, 2012

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope your Valentine’s Day was lovely. Me? I chilled at home with my favorite Valentine: Say hi to Walcott! She’s my baby   Okay, enough mushiness. Let’s talk food! For this week’s Bread Pudding Challenge I headed to Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield. This fancy pants restaurant is well-known for [...]

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Bread Pudding Challenge, Week 5: Cyrano’s!

February 8, 2012

Good morning, bread pudding lovers! Well, I certainly hope you’re a bread pudding lover by now. It’s Week 5! We’re almost halfway through the BP Challenge. The weeks are just zooming by, let me tell you. I’m loving every minute, and I think Jess is too! Anyway, this week brought me to Cyrano’s, in Webster [...]

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