Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Bread Pudding with Crown Maple Caramel Sauceand Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Contest #3 Anything/Everything Pumpkin

Recipe Creator: Chef Langdon

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream plus 1/2 cup whole milk

3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 egg yolk

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground allspice

pinch of ground cloves

2 tbsps bourbon

5 cups day-old baguette or crusty bread (I used challah), cubed about 1-inch

6 tbsps (3 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

6 oz Favorite chocolate bar, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Toss the bread together with the butter in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the pumpkin, milk and cream, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, salt, spices, and bourbon in another large bowl. Pour the pumpkin custard over the bread cubes and toss to coat. Pour 1/3 of mixture and drizzle with melted chocolate, do this until mixture is all gone. Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish and bake 25 to 30 minutes until custard sets. You can also do this in individual ramekins. The ramekins bake faster, so start checking them after 15 minutes

Crown Maple salted Caramel sauce:

Ingredients

1/4 c unsalted butter

1/2 c brown sugar

3/4 c heavy cream

1/8 tsp course kosher salt

2 oz crown royal maple liquor (or maple bourbon)

Directions

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and crown maple. Whisk until sugar melts and mixture is thick and starting to boil. Slowly pour cream and whisk until incorporated. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking often, though not constantly. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Whisk in coarse salt. Makes about one cup.

Meet the Chef:

My passion for food started at a young age. I grew up in a household with a chef for a father.  My dad has been a chef for 35+ years and has been my mentor and go-to man for questions. Every family meal at the dinner table we would talk about food. I knew I always wanted to do something with food. My dad tried to warn me about the long hard and stressful hours working your way to the top in kitchens but this didn't stop me. 

I decided to take my love for food to the next level and apply for Johnson and Wales University Culinary Arts program. Since graduating I never looked back. Constantly trying to perfect and progress my culinary technique. Every day is a different new and challenging day which can be extremely rewarding. I get to use all 5 of my senses in the kitchen and it fuels the fire for my cooking. 

After graduating, I moved down Hilton Head Island and recently moved to Charleston, SC to work in one of the top rated restaurants in the Charleston area called the Fat Hen. I love to cook on my days off, brew my own craft beer, head to Folly Beach with friends and explore the farmers markets for the local fresh produce. 

I believe everyone can learn how to cook because it's fun!

Pour a glass of wine or crack a bottle of good beer and get cookin'! 

Instagram: @Chef_Langdon