Pudding

Here we go back to New Orleans again, with Bourbon Street flair. Southern bourbon-soaked brioche bread makes a hearty Creole-style dessert.

Based on a dessert that Lo serves at Annisa, this custardy bread pudding is shot through with poppy seeds for a stunning visual and textural effect. The bread soaks overnight; begin 1 day ahead.

This fantastic dessert is perfect for the cool months of late fall and winter. Cubes of tender pumpkin bread are baked in a rich custard laced with bourbon and maple syrup. Crisp apple cider is the base of a buttery caramel sauce spiced with fresh ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise. Forget about serving the same-old pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and put this out instead for a new twist on two old classics. The recipe includes directions for making your own pumpkin bread to use in the pudding, but you can of course also use a loaf of pumpkin bread from your favorite bakery. Brioche or cinnamon-raisin bread would also work perfectly.

At Barbuzzo in Philadelphia, Marcie Turney serves this budino (Italian for pudding) in small mason jars.

Chris Ford, pastry chef at Washington, D.C.'s Rogue 24, brings this British-style "pudding" to picnics and BBQs. Serve with whipped cream and more berries.

This is a treat best enjoyed from July to October, when one's pail of freshly picked wild blueberries runneth over. The wild blues that stud this fluffy cake greet the eye like so many sparkling jewels plucked from a maharajah's box. It's a lovely cake to bake in the glowing embers. Set it to cook as the main course is served and, as if by magic, it will be ready by meal's conclusion.

This is a very simple traditional recipe, just the thing when you want to whip up something quick, easy, and comforting. It's an odd dessert that seems to be made up of parts from other desserts. The filling is gooey, like pecan pie with bits of apple. The outer edge is bubbly and chewy, like pralines. The top forms a thin, crisp crust that is like a sticky meringue or macaroon. In other words, this is not pudding-cup pudding but pudding in the English sense of the word, meaning dessert in general. There is a strong similarity between Ozark pudding and the Huguenot tortes made around Charleston. I've read all sorts of stories about the provenance of this dessert. One account says that Bess Truman invented it to cheer up homesick Harry in the White House. Another tale reports that French Huguenots fleeing persecution brought this recipe over. Another story is that a Charleston cook tasted Ozark pudding on a trip to the Midwest, brought the recipe home, and prepared it to serve in the Huguenot tavern where she worked. No matter which version you believe, it's obvious that good recipes get around.

Humble rice pudding gets a serious makeover with the addition of flavorful, fat-grained Carolina Gold rice and a glassy, sugared brûlée crust.

The first time I tasted rose water in a milky pudding, as a child in Turkey, I was overwhelmed by its intensity. Always the curious eater, I tried again, wondering whether I could ever like this flavor, and then again — and again and again. Rose water has this effect on you. Its concentrated, bold aroma, evoking the serenity of churches or mosques, does require some getting used to, but when you do, you will never stop longing for it. In this dessert, I infuse sweet dates with rose water's heady aroma and add them to a rice pudding made with Chinese black rice. This soft-textured rice was once eaten only by the emperors of China. Lotus Foods offers a delicious heirloom variety under the trademarked label Forbidden Rice. It makes for a stunning dessert as it turns a deep burgundy hue when cooked. Choose firmer dates such as Deglet Noor for this dessert, as you don't want them to become mushy in the pudding.

If you love rice pudding, you’ll adore these paletas. They have a particularly creamy texture because half of the rice pudding is blended after it’s cooked. Mmmm, I’m salivating just thinking about it! I give you the option of using cinnamon or lime zest with the vanilla because both are common combinations. I couldn’t decide between the two, so I leave it up to you.

Pudding cakes are little culinary marvels. Take what is basically a thin cake batter, fold in whipped egg whites, put the batter into a baking dish (or several ramekins as I do here), and voilà! As it bakes, the batter separates and forms a sponge cake on the top with a thick, kind of custardy pudding on the bottom. Lemon pudding cakes are common in the South, but I've swapped lemon for Key lime juice. To coat the insides of the ramekins with sugar, grease them with nonstick cooking spray or butter, put 1 tablespoon sugar in one, and then tilt and turn it around, tapping to coat all the inside surfaces. Tap the excess sugar into the next ramekin and repeat the process until all are dusted, adding more sugar as needed.

The subtle taste of pumpkin merges effortlessly with coconut milk in this classic Italian dessert that provides a taste of fall flavors.

"There are as many variations on this easy, classic dessert as there are fruits."—Jimmy Bannos, Jr.

Chef Anton Mosimann of Mosimann's London has orchestrated numerous royal celebrations, including Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee and Prince Charles' 50th birthday. He also holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment from the Prince of Wales. Mosimann's Bread and Butter Pudding is made with less bread and more custard than traditional recipes. He says the royal family loves his lighter version, and he recommends it for parties because guests won't feel too full.

A traditional Scottish dessert usually served on Burns' Night, cranachan or "crowdie cream" uses oatmeal and Scottish heather honey, rich amber in color and with a caramel flavor. Raspberries or loganberries are the traditional fruits, but any soft fruit can be used. Likewise, Scottish pinhead oats are best here, but the similar steel-cut oats will work too. Serve with a dram of whisky and a piece of shortbread for extra authenticity.

Charles Worthington is an award-winning hairdresser, a world-class host—at his homes in the South of France, London, and Kent—and a great fan of Green & Black's, going back to the very early days when Jo Fairley (wearing her other "hat" as a Beauty Editor), introduced him to the chocolate. This is one of Charles's favorite chocolate indulgences.

The product: An orange that's streaked with red throughout and almost seedless.
The payoff: Sweet-tart flavor and pinkish-red color that come together in an easy, sophisticated dessert.

When­ we ­decided­ to start serving brunch, we were determined to stick with the original concept of the restaurant, "tea turned on its ear," so we racked our brains to come up with a way to do french toast that was unique, fun, and, most important, tasty! We all tossed a bunch of ideas out there, and one of them was french toast bread pudding. All heads tilted curiously at this idea, so of course we tried it. The idea was for it to be like a true bread pudding—tea-infused, of course—but when the first batch came out, our chef said, "I don't think this one is right—the top is crisp and chewy, but the bottom may be mushy." We tried it, and lo and behold, there it was, the brunch item that would make eyes widen and taste buds explode: a layer of crisp and chewy french toast on top and a wonderfully gooey, creamy bread pudding infused with apricot brandy tea underneath. Note that you will need eight 2-inch-deep oven-safe glass bowls (8-ounce ramekins or crème brûlée dishes work well).