Black Plum Bread Pudding

Plums

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5 Reasons We Love Plums
By Erika Freeman
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1. “Plum” is often used to describe a deep purple hue, but in fact plums come in a wide spectrum of colors, such as black, yellow, red, pink, even green.
2. Dark plums (purple, black) are full of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, antioxidants that give them their color and are associated with helping to keep the heart healthy and the brain sharp.
3. Without the plum, we wouldn’t have prunes! Oh, but excuse us, we call them “dried plums” now. (In 2000, the prune was renamed to make it easier to market—apparently prunes’ reputation as a fruit to keep you regular was no longer a selling point.)
4. They have an au naturel protection; called a “bloom,” it’s a natural wax coating the fruit produces to keep its skin from losing water. Look for the whitish-silvery bloom: it’s also a sign a plum hasn’t been over-handled.
5. This juicy sweet treat has only about 36 calories.
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This plum bread pudding was the glorious end to a great meal I had with my friends Laura, Fernando and André at my house the other day.
It was the first multi- course dinner I hosted at home in four years and it reminded me how much I miss these gatherings with great food, drink and company that were so common and frequent at the homes Maria’s and I shared for so many years in times past. Happy dinner parties were the highlights of our social life when she was still alive and sometimes I miss them, along with so many other things we shared.
Although Maria was not physically present at this dinner, her spirit was with us and so it was only the second social gathering I was happy at since her passing.
(Xmas dinner at Dieters and Chachas house being the only other occasion) 🙂
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So, while the seafood salad, tenderloin steak, flat iron steak, teriyaki cauliflower and tomato/garlic pasta were delicious, the highlight was the dessert in the form of this black plum pudding.
Plums are wonderful to prepare cakes and tatin’s with, superb for marmalade and compote and, as you can see below, just perfect for bread pudding.
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more Bread Pudding on ChefsOpinion
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Bread And Black Plum Pudding

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: wash and pit 10 medium size black plums, cut into small “cubes”

: butter an ovenproof dish generously with soft butter

: whisk together 6 small eggs, 4 cup milk, a pinch of ground cinnamon, 6 tblsp organic honey and a dash of organic vanilla extract

: cut 10 THICK slices of day-old white bread into large cubes, mix with the plums, fill into ovenproof dish

: add the egg/milk mixture, press the bread and plums into the liquid until most of the mixture has been absorbed by the bread, sprinkle generously with sugar and top with butter flakes

: bake pudding at 375F until set and plums are soft and top is caramelized, about 45 minutes, remove from oven, let slightly cool; sprinkle with castor sugar and serve with whipped cream; serves 8