Mixed Berry Goats Cheese Croissant Bread Pudding

 I’m not going to beat around the bush. This bread pudding is the greatest thing to come out of my oven. EVER.

I mean, I love bread pudding anyway, but this one really takes the cake. Or pudding.

Not only does it make an absolutely amazing dessert, but the excuse to eat it for breakfast totally flies because really, it’s just an overnight breakfast casserole as well. I’ve served it both as a breakfast dish and as a dessert. And then proceeded to consume any leftovers at those same times as well, which is a huge bonus in my book.

Instead of cubed bread, this pudding calls for slices of croissants. Fresh or a little stale, croissants are perfect for this pudding as they get such a nice crunch on the exposed tops when they’re baked and they soak up the custard so well. I am not a fan of bread puddings where the bread is soggy or mushy, so the croissants clear that problem right up. Their texture is just perfect.

Add in  ripples of mixed berry sauce and ribbons of creamy goats cheese whipped with cream cheese, pour the custard batter over the whole dish and let it sit overnight to soak it all up. In the morning(or 8 hours or so later) you can throw it in the oven and 45 minutes later you have the most perfect breakfast of dessert you could ever wish for.

I whipped the goats cheese with cream cheese so that you still get a good goats cheese flavor but it doesn’t smack you in the face. Though if you like a very strong goats cheese flavor you could increase the cheese by an ounce or two.

I use frozen mixed berries in this recipe, but you could use whatever  you have on hand weather it be raspberries or blackberries, blueberries or strawberries, or any combo you want to put together.

Mixed Berry Goats Cheese Croissant Bread Pudding

 

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Serves: Serves 8-12

Ingredients

• 8 Large Croissants
• FOR THE BERRY SAUCE:
• 12 ounces frozen Mixed Berries, thawed
• ½ cup Sugar
• ⅓ cup Water
• 1½ tablespoons Cornstarch
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• FOR THE GOATS CHEESE CREAM:
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
• 6 ounces Goats Cheese, softened
• ½ cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• FOR THE CUSTARD:
• 4 Eggs
• 1½ teaspoons Vanilla
• ⅓ cup Sugar
• 1½ cups Half and Half

Instructions

1. Slice the croissants into 3-4 sections, lengthwise. Line the slices up in rows in a 9x13 baking dish. Set aside.
2. TO MAKE THE BERRY SAUCE:
3. Place the mixed berries, water, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium/high heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes, pressing on the larger berries to break them up. Mix the lemon juice and cornstarch together until smooth. Pour into the saucepan while whisking constantly and whisk until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. TO MAKE THE GOATS CHEESE CREAM:
5. Place the cream cheese and goats cheese in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat in until smooth. Add the lemon juice and mix in. Beat in the whipping cream, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scoop into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and set aside.
6. TO MAKE THE CUSTARD:
7. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and half and half and mix until well combined. Set aside.
8. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
9. Spoon the berry sauce randomly but evenly through the rows of sliced croissants. Pipe the goats cheese cream in between the slices of croissants that haven't been filled with berry sauce. Pour the custard sauce over the entire dish, a little at a time, allowing to soak into the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Let sit for 8 hours or overnight.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the pudding on the middle rack for 45 minutes, or until the dish is cooked through and croissants are lightly browned on top.
11. Serve warm.

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