Birthday Surprise Dinner Course #3

I very rarely make dessert, but bread pudding is about as easy as it gets. The orange is a fresh and unexpected twist.

Ingredients
1 baguette- I used walnut and raisin
1 orange, juice and zest
1 cup of heavy cream or whole milk plus more as needed
2-3 eggs

Drizzle of honey
Cinnamon, optional
Bar of dark chocolate
Fresh fruit for garnish


In a bowl, blend the milk and eggs. Add the juice of 1 orange along with some of the zest and a drizzle of honey. If using a plain baguette, add more honey and maybe some cinnamon. Let this mixture sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

Slice or tear the baguette into bite size chunks and place in a baking dish. I made individual bread puddings in two small dishes. Pour the custard over the bread and mix to combine. All the bread should soak up some of the custard, if not add some more milk. If you like it really custardy go for three eggs and also let it sit for a while, but I like mine drier and even a little crispy on the top.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until it's steamy. Take it out, and grate some dark chocolate over the top. Even breaking the bar up into chunks is fine. Put back in the oven for another 5 minutes until the chocolate melts. Serve with fresh fruit on the side. (I heated up the leftovers the next day and topped with ice cream which is great but maybe too rich after a heavy meal.)