Cherry almond bread pudding

Serves
4

Author Notes

Bread pudding is such a great comfort food. I often make either sweet or savory versions from leftover bread. I have tried to streamline the process, so everything is easy. Experimenting with tastes, almonds and cherries make great partners for both taste and texture. I also like the rich and slightly sour taste the buttermilk imparts to this recipe. If you don’t, you could substitute half and half. —Sagegreen

Ingredients

²/₃ cup

cane sugar
pinch of salt
2

eggs, beaten
1 cup

buttermilk
3 tablespoons

acacia honey
1 milliliter

almond essence
2 tablespoons

amaretto (optional for more festive touch)
1 ¹/₂ cups

stale French bread
¹/₈ cup

butter, sliced into pats
¹/₂ pound

sweet red, cherries, pitted
¹/₂ cup

toasted almonds
1 ¹/₂ cups

vanilla ice cream
butter to grease pan
sprinkle of cinnamon
sprinkle of cane sugar
sprig of mint for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Roll the cherries in the sugar to coat them.
Mix the salt and sugar with the eggs; then add the buttermilk, honey, almond essence, (add optional amaretto), and finally add the sugar-coated cherries.
Rip up the stale bread and add that to the mix. Allow to sit and soak up the liquid, but make sure there is still liquid left. Pour in a little more buttermilk if needed to keep the mix very moist.
Butter generously a 10″ pan that is at least 2″ deep/
Add the almonds on top.
Dot with the butter pats. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake until golden brown on top (@35 minutes, but check your oven).
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and a sprig of mint.