Torta Paesana Italian Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipes

Steps:

• Soak cookies and bread in the milk overnight.
• The day after blend the soaked mixture in an electric mixer.
• Pour mixture in a medium bowl, fold in eggs and then the rest of the ingredients until well blended.
• Grease a 9 inches round pan and coat greased bottom and sides with some flour or breadcrumb.
• Pour mixture in prepared pan and bake in preheated oven (175°C – 350°F) for about 45 minutes.
• Serve cold.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread in a round, buttered, deep dish pie plate. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, a dash of salt, vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon . Add chocolate chips. Pour over bread and gently mix. Let sit for 15 minutes, so bread can absorb mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until firm but not dry.

Steps:

• Line a 9 inch pie plate with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches overhang on all edges.
• Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a large bowl, adding the cornstarch whisking until no lumps remain.
• In a medium saucepan, add the cream and milk and simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk-cream into the egg bowl, whisking steadily, to temper the eggs. When blended, slowly pour the tempered eggs back into the saucepan of milk and cream, again whisking constantly.
• Put the pan back over medium-low heat, and whisk steadily until the custard heats and thickens. Don't let it boil, though it should bubble occasionally. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until it is quite thick.
• Remove from the heat, and stir in the crumbled biscotti, chopped chocolate, nuts, and cocoa powder. Stir continuously until the chocolate has melted and all the ingredients are evenly blended. Pour the custard into the pie plate, and cover with plastic wrap, laying it directly on the top of the pudding. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve: Remove the top sheet of plastic, invert onto a serving plate, and cut into wedges. Top with unsweetened whipped cream and coarsely crumbled biscotti (if you have any left) or crushed hazelnuts; in season, strawberries or raspberries would be wonderful.

Steps:

• Grease a 10 inch round cake pan.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees with rack in middle of oven.
• Put the bread cubes in a food processor and pulse to make 1/8 inch crumbs.
• Put crumbs in large mixing bowl with lemon zest.
• Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat and then pour over the bread to cover it completely.
• Let mixture stand for 10 minutes so the bread absorbs the milk.
• In another large bowl whisk the eggs and then add the sugar in a stream.
• Then whisk in the cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg and vanilla.
• Stir the bread soaked mixture into this.
• Stir in the ground almonds and raisins.
• Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Decorate with the almonds and pine nuts in a symmetrical pattern.
• Dot the top of the batter with the butter.
• Place the pan in the oven and immediately lower heat to 350 degrees.
• Bake the cake until it is a deep golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about an hour.
• Cool the cake in the pan, on a rack.
• Invert cake onto rack and then invert again onto platter.
• Dust cake with confectioner's sugar before serving.