Cornbread Pecan Bread Pudding

Since we will be having Thanksgiving dinner with friends this year, and my contribution will be the sweet potato casserole with pecan streusel topping and an apple pie, we cooked a small turkey last Friday night, so that we would have some turkey leftovers for the chilly weekend, as well as the makings for turkey stock.

It was cold out, too cold for Jamie to do any work on his car, so we snuggled up on the couch in our pj's and watched movies all day long. One movie right after the other. It was such a relaxing day. We haven't had a day like that in months.

The only thing that would have made the day better would have been not discovering that we were all out of coffee... but neither of us felt like making a trip to the grocery store, so we drank hot tea instead, wrapped up in blankets, and enjoyed the warmth of the fireplace.

After the turkey bones had bubbled away on the stove for hours, I strained the stock and made soup for dinner, as well as a batch of cornbread pecan muffins. I like to make cornbread barely sweetened, so that it's more savory than sweet, but the pecans added a nice natural sweetness and crunch to the hearty muffins. Dried cranberries, or fresh corn sliced off the cob would be a good addition, too.

We each only ate one muffin with dinner, which meant there were ten leftover, and as much as I love cornbread, it does tend to get a little dry the next day. But that actually makes it perfect for other recipes that are better with day-old bread.

So for breakfast on Sunday, I crumbled up a few of the muffins in a custard of eggs and milk, seasoned with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, for a bread pudding. After baking the puddings, I topped each with a freshly cracked egg yolk and a drizzle of syrup.

Breaking into a fresh egg yolk and watching the creamy yolk drizzle over everything is one of life's small pleasures.

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Cornbread Pecan Muffins
printable

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, melted butter and eggs and whisk just until moistened. Stir in the pecans. Divide the batter between the liners, filling them nearly full.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Yields 12 muffins

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen

Cornbread Pecan Bread Pudding
printable

4 day-old cornbread pecan muffins, crumbled into chunks
2/3 cup whole milk
2 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2-4 egg yolks (optional)
maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray four 4-ounce or two 8-ounce ramekins with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, whisk together the milk, whole eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the muffins and let stand for a few minutes until the custard is absorbed. Divide between the ramekins, using a spoon to make a small well in the center of each (if you're planning to use the egg yolks).

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and the custard is set. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and and carefully place the raw egg yolks in the center of each pudding. Serve with maple syrup.

Yields 2-4 servings

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen