Cherry Chocolate Bread Pudding

Hey, what's up, hello! I'm sitting on my couch while Chloe and Thomas cook me crêpres... how very French. They are both visiting while they prep for their three-month cycling trip across the United States. Me and Dan are being awkward hosts, showing them clips of Pierre Escargot (which is incomprehensible to French-speakers, btw), and shouting "zut alors!" and "chin chin!" when we clink our glasses of bordeaux together. 

You should keep up with their adventures. Follow Thomas on his website and weekly YouTube vlog, or follow Chloe--she shares her beautiful thoughts on Medium. Thomas already has about a year of cycling under his belt, having made his way through Europe (Sweden was beautiful, he says. Poland, not so much.) and up the Eastern seaboard (Miami was like the movies. The seashore of North Carolina is magical.) of the USA. But Chloe, my dear, fearless friend whom I met when we interned together, is new to cycling. I cannot WAIT to see Thomas teasing her from Chicago to Las Vegas and beyond. ;) 

If I were cleverer, I probably would have planned to talk about some crêpes, or at least a pain perdu today, but this baby is really more of a bread pudding... not that I'm complaining. I am tellin' you! Bookmark/pin this recipe. It is soooo good and exactly what you should cook if you have some guests coming over for a weekend brunch. Prepare it the night before and warm up in the oven the next morning for a rich, chocolatey, delicious meal that pairs perfectly with a café au lait. Hope you like!!

Cherry Chocolate Bread Pudding

• 7 cups stale baguette, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups cream
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• pinch salt
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Press one layer of bread cubes into a small casserole dish. sprinkle with half of the cherries and half of the chocolate, making sure it gets into crevices. Press remaining bread pieces on top and top with remaining chocolate and cherries. Make sure to tuck cherries into the bread--if too exposed, they may burn.
3. Combine eggs, yolks, cream, vanilla, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well.
4. Pour custard mixture over bread, making sure to disperse it evenly over all of the bread. Put pudding in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
5. At the 30 minute mark, top the pudding with coconut and allow to toast as pudding bakes for another 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven when custard has expanded and bloomed in the oven.
6. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving! Can be made a day ahead--just wrap in aluminum foil, refrigerate, and warm up in the oven prior to serving.