Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad with Basil Chiffonade, Fresh Mint, Mozzarella Pearls, Smoked Almonds, Shaved Red Onion, & Homemade Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad with Basil Chiffonade, Fresh Mint, Mozzarella Pearls, Smoked Almonds, Shaved Red Onion, & Homemade Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Memorial Day is right around the corner. Who's excited? I am! Just another excuse to throw a party and cook yummy comfort food. What are y'all cooking? I normally make fried chicken or BBQ with a pasta salad or potato salad on the side. Most likely, it's always a potato salad. So, I decided to change it up a bit and make a sweet + savory pasta salad filled with fresh, summery ingredients. In the end, I knew I wanted to whip up a Caprese inspired dish, but with a slight twist. But, this Caprese salad wouldn't have no stinkin' tomatoes, it would have beautifully roasted strawberries instead. Yep, strawberry caprese salads are in... actually any fruit would work and it'd be absolutely delish. Oh by they way, roasting fruit is ah-may-zing. I do it almost every time I want to boost the fruity flavor of a component in any of my dishes. But, if you aren't feeling the whole roasting fruit thing, don't worry we added in some fresh strawberries as well. The remaining ingredients include the following: a whole mess of basil, mint, shaved red onion, smoked almonds, mozzarella pearls, & a homemade roasted strawberry-white balsamic-poppy seed dressing. I love poppy seed dressings because of their sweet nature, but also the sensation you get when popping them in your mouth. My take on a poppy seed dressing isn't thick, but more like a creamy vinaigrette. It is thinned out with a white balsamic reduction and boosted in flavor with some mashed, roasted strawberries. It really packs a delightful punch! This recipe would be ideal for any celebrations this weekend or perfect for a picnic!! Enjoy :)

For the Roasted Strawberries:

24oz Fresh Strawberries, Halved & Hulled

6T Maple Syrup

6T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1t Salt (a scant teaspoon)

3T Port

Homemade Balsamic Reduction

For the Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing:

¼C White Balsamic Vinegar

1T Honey

 ¼C Mayo (or you can increase it to ½C for a creamier dressing)

1T Poppy Seeds

8oz Roasted Strawberries

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (and a pinch of sugar if needed)

For the Roasted Strawberry Caprese Pasta Salad:

1lb Pasta, Cooked Al Dente & Cooled

16oz Roasted Strawberries

8oz Fresh Strawberries, Halved & Hulled (this is optional, but I like the combination)

1 Bunch of Fresh Basil, Chiffonade (we like a whole mess of basil)

2T Fresh Mint, Minced

24oz Mozzarella Pearls

½C Red Onion, Thinly Shaved

1C Smoked Almonds, Roughly Chopped

Prepared Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Strawberries: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use two rimmed baking sheets and line them with a silpat or parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and port until incorporated. Cut the strawberries in half and hull them. Place the strawberry pieces into the bowl with the maple syrup mixture and toss to cover the berries. Arrange the strawberries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Roast for 30-45 minutes or until their juice begins to thicken, but do not burn. Gently scrape the strawberries into a boll and fold in the port and balsamic reduction.

2. For the Roasted Strawberry-White Balsamic-Poppy Seed Dressing: Add the white balsamic vinegar and honey to a small saucepan and cook to reduce for 5-10 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Set this aside until ready to use. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo and poppy seeds until they are fully incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the white balsamic reduction while whisking to form a smooth & slightly creamy dressing. Add in 8oz of the roasted strawberries and mash with a fork to break them up into small to medium pieces. Taste the dressing and season to taste, adding salt, pepper, sugar, or a splash of vinegar to taste if needed.

3. For the Pasta Salad: To the large bowl that has the dressing in it, add in the cooked pasta, roasted strawberries, fresh strawberries, basil Chiffonade, minced mint, mozzarella pearls, shaved red onions, and smoked almonds. Gently toss the ingredients together until the dressing has completely coated everything. Chill until you are ready to serve.

Brie + Dark Chocolate "Biscuit Beignets" with Spicy Cinnamon-Sugar + Homemade Strawberry Preserves

Brie + Dark Chocolate "Biscuit Beignets" with Spicy Cinnamon-Sugar + Homemade Strawberry Preserves

Brie + Doughnuts? Yes, it's true. And they are life-changing. Whowouldathunkit amirite? Well, apparently Brie cheese pairs beautifully with dessert/sweet flavors. I ended up throwin' it together with some dark chocolate, spicy cinnamon, and strawberry preserves. THESE CANNOT BE MISSED. Even better, they have a short cut! What? Who? Where? Wait... What? Yep, I actually can come up with easy recipes, despite every other thing I have ever posted. Instead of making a beignet dough recipe (which I heard can be quite finicky + lengthy), I used a good 'ole can of big store-bought biscuits. They fry up perfectly golden brown, crispy on the outside, and light & fluffy on the inside. It's amazing that something I normally would scoff at, could impress me so much, ya know? However, when something anything stuffed with cheese + chocolate can't taste bad. The Brie cheese starts to burst through the second you bite into it, and then it just slowly drip down your fingers, while the chocolate is quite sneaky and ended up on my t-shirt 1 or 2 times (and by 1 or 2, I mean 9 or 10). Possibly the best part of these beignets, besides the easiness of it, is the spicy cinnamon-sugar. I am a sweet-heat girl and will be till the end of time. So, when I was whipping up some of the spiced sugar mix, I thought that it would be amazing with the addition of cayenne, paprika, + chili powder. Oh it was sooooooo good, it was almost similar to Mexican Chocolate that includes similar spices. It all flowed togetha y'all, dontchouworry. We dipped these puppies into homemade strawberry preserves and it was perfection. But, don't feel tied down to strawberry or any homemade jam for that fact, grab whatever is in your pantry/fridge!! Enjoy :)

For the Spicy Cinnamon Sugar:

¼C Granulated Sugar

1T Cinnamon

¼t Paprika

Pinch of Cayenne & Chili Powder (to taste) 

Big Pinch of Salt (this is optional, but I love the balance)

For the Brie + Chocolate “Biscuit Beignets”:

Peanut Oil, For Frying

1 Can of Store-Bought Extra Large Biscuits (cut each biscuit round in half)

Pieces of Creamy Brie Cheese, Cut into Chunks (about the size of a teaspoon or more)

Bittersweet or Semisweet Chocolate, Roughly Chopped into Small-Medium Pieces

Prepared Spicy Cinnamon Sugar, For Tossing

Homemade Strawberry Preserves, For Dipping (any kind of jam or preserve can be used)

Directions:

1. Preheat the peanut oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet to 350 degrees.

2. For the Spicy Cinnamon Sugar: Mix together all of the ingredients and pour it into a paper bag, for tossing, or leave in the bowl and use a spoon to toss the finished beignets.

3. For the “Biscuit Beignets”: Open up the can of biscuits and cut each biscuit round in half. Using a rolling pin, gently thin and flatten the halves, just so they are slightly larger. Place a rolled half in the palm of your hand, followed by a piece of brie and some chocolate pieces, making sure that you do not over-fill the dough or they will open up when you fry them. Fold the excess dough over the Brie & chocolate, so that they are completely covered & sealed. Roll them slightly to make a nice, small round ball. Place the rolled balls onto a plate and place it in the refrigerator. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients and continue placing them onto the plate in the refrigerator to keep them cold until everything has been finished.

4. Frying the Beignets: Fry the stuffed beignet balls, in batches, in your preheated oil until they are golden brown, slightly crisp on the outside, but also melty & gooey on the inside, about 1-3 minutes, depending on the heat of your oil or fryer. Once they have browned, quickly remove from the oil, let them drain of excess oil, and drop them into the spicy cinnamon-sugar filled paper bag. Shake the bag or toss them in the sugar mixture until they are evenly, and heavily, coated.

5. For Serving: Place the coated beignets on a serving plate with a bowl of preserves for dipping.

Let's talk about cheese plates + a Goat Cheese-Roasted Garlic-Truffle Honey Beehive...

Whipped Fresh Cracked Pepper Goat Cheese, Pureed Rosted Garlic, & Truffle Honey Drizzle Beehive

I'm an entertaining kinda girl... not in the way that I'm the life of the party or I'm just super hilarious and everyone adores me (because most of the time, they don't, ha). But, I love love love to host parties and entertain my friends with a dinner meal, cookout, Sunday Funday, tailgatin', and holiday themed food. I am just the eternal host, and I can't ever stop. Seriously, it's become a problem. I start planning events months + months in advance. For an example of my madness, the process of planning our yearly "Friendsgiving" has already been discussed this week. Yeah, we're lame. But that's not the idea for today's post because we are focusing on cheese plates!! Now, I don't know about those people out there who don't like cheese, but watch your back, that's just plain mean... and that's coming from a person who is lactose intolerant. Before I get to the main recipe for an AMAZING goat cheese beehive + pictures of my cheeseboards, we havta talk about the set up. First of all, you need a big 'ole serving plate, wooden cutting board, or a professionally made cheese board. This is where you get to stack and pile on all your goodies :) Next up, the main ingredient + undefeated champ of the cooking world, CHEESE. A variety of cheese in flavor + texture is key here, people, especially when trying to making/keeping your guests and friends happy. You need some odd flavors, some really stinky strong cheese, some creamy, some tangy, some classics... well, you get my drift. The cheeses I like to include are the following: Gorgonzola Dolce, Comte, Creamy Goat Cheese, Vintage Aged Cheddar with Crystals (my favorite brand is Coastal Rugged, Mature White Cheddar, and I'm obsessed with it), Gouda Cheese, Brie, Black Pepper Parmesan, Manchego, a cheese with fruit in it (I prefer cranberry), and something spicy (I prefer triple pepper colby jack cheese from boars head). Now, don't feel like you have to inlcude all of these, they are all just suggestions; so, I would stick to 3-5 kinds of cheese for a dinner party. I like to take all of my cheese out of the refrigerator out and place it onto the counter, so it can soften and get rid of the chill. The accoutrements are the hype girls to the cheesy ring leader that means you nee some jams (preserves, spreads, etc.), fresh fruit (grapes, apples, etc.), dried fruit, crostini, fancy crackers, crusty fried bread, high quality pickles or marinated veggies, roasted or spiced nuts and a whole lot of yummy charcuterie. These additions are all very important, don't leave 'em out, okay? I also find it helpful to find and/or buy specialty cheese knives because they work with the cheese, as opposed to you being covered in cheese on your new, fancy dress. Each cheese should mostly be broken down in different ways... parmesan & cheddar need to be broken into large chunks, the Comte can be sliced or cubed, and the soft cheeses should just be left alone because it will just clutter your board. Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, here are some pictures of my cheese plates that I made in the past...

See? Look how awesome those are. I mean really, who needs dinner when you got this in front of you?  It's easy entertaining at its' best, but still incredibly satisfying and delicious!! The next item we have to tackle is the main recipe of this post... a Goat Cheese-Roasted Garlic-Truffle Honey Beehive that is featured in The Cheesemonger's Kitchen. 

This concoction is ridiculous, in all ways you can think of. Whipped Fresh Cracked Black Pepper Goat Cheese + Pureed Roasted Garlic are layered into a cheesecloth-lined bowl, and then inverted onto a cake stand and drizzled with yummy-yummy-tasty-tasty white truffle honey. I can't described to you the satisfaction I felt when I popped it out of the container and peeled off the cheesecloth to find perfectly crafted layers of fluffy cheese + creamy garlic. The flavors are all so wonderful together that we finished this entire beehive in one bite. Honestly, I can't stop thinking about all of the other amazing combinations of ingredients that I can substitute in... like for Christmas, maybe use sundried tomato paste, basil pesto, and roasted garlic... or for Thanksgiving, use cranberry sauce, pumpkin puree, & sage pesto. The list could go on + on, but I promise I won't. Wait, scratch that, how about making a sweet beehive instead? OMG, doing that with summer berries tomorrow. Back to our 'hive though, it is set onto a cake stand, and we had so much extra room that we decided to garnish with some speck, salumi, pepperoni from our favorite butcher in Atlanta, along with some sweet + tart apples. The beehive is so easy to spread onto bread and crackers, and perfectly perfect for a snack with a big glass of wine!! Enjoy :)

For the Whipped Black Pepper Goat Cheese:

2 16oz Blocks of Creamy Goat Cheese, Room Temperature

¼-½C Heavy Cream (we found our goat cheese was too thick, and this helped a lot) 

Sea Salt & Freshly Cracked Pepper (to your liking, we did about 1-2T of pepper)

For the Pureed Roasted Garlic Layer (the easy way):

1-2C Whole Roasted Garlic Cloves (we bought ours at Whole Foods)

¼-½C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Goat Cheese Beehive:

Prepared Whipped Black Pepper Goat Cheese Layer

Prepared Pureed Roasted Garlic

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Gourmet Truffle Honey (or any other high quality honey will do)

1-2 Cheesecloth

1 Small, Deep Dish Baking Dish or Bowl (look for one that is round, but flat on the bottom) 

Crostini, Crackers, Cured Meats, Fresh Fruit, or Fried Bread, For Serving

Directions:

1. Line a baking dish or bowl with cheesecloth/muslin with plenty of overhang. Set it aside.

2. For the Whipped Black Pepper Goat Cheese: Place the softened goat cheese into the bowl of a standing mixer and beat for about 1-2 minutes until it has started to whip and smooth out. Depending on how thick it is (and how thick you want it to be), add in some heavy cream, fresh cracked black pepper, & salt and continue beating until light + fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Refrigerate or set aside until you are ready to layer, but make sure it is room temperature and easily spreadable in the baking dish.

3. For the Pureed Roasted Garlic Layer: Place the roasted cloves of garlic into a food processor and begin to puree it until smooth and no chunks remain. With the food processor still on, drizzle in the olive oil until it has emulsified and creamy. Season with salt, pepper, & a pinch of sugar. Set it aside until ready to use.

4. Layering the Beehive: Using a rubber spatula, scoop out some of the whipped goat cheese and plop it into the cheesecloth-lined bowl and gently layer it (this first layer can be frustrating, but don’t worry, you can always fix your mistakes when you remove the cheesecloth from it later on). Season the top of this layer with salt & pepper to taste. Using the same method as the whipped goat cheese, dollop the garlic puree on top of the goat cheese layer and smooth it out once more. Repeat this alternating process until all of the ingredients have been used and you have created gorgeous layers (just make sure you end with goat cheese or it will get messy). Cover the beehive with the overhang of the cheesecloth (or an additional cheesecloth) and cover with tinfoil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate this overnight, in order for it to set properly.

5. For Serving: An hour or so before serving, remove the beehive from the refrigerator and peel back the cheesecloth. Place a cake stand upside down on the bowl and then invert the two together. Remove the bowl and peel off the cheesecloth/muslin to reveal the beehive. Any cracks in the goat cheese can be smoothed with a wet finger or spatula. Drizzle the beehive with truffle honey to complete the beehive theme and balance the aromatic garlic. Serve with bread, crackers, or fruit (and a glass of wine).

Summer Staples : Creamy Burrata Caprese Salad with Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil Chiffonade, Balsamic Reduction, + Homemade Pesto

Creamy Burrata Caprese Salad with Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil Chiffonade,
Balsamic Reduction, + Homemade Pesto

Another day, another Summer Staple. I love these kinds of recipes. Quick, fast, easy peazy, simple, fresh, yummy, and everything else under the sun. The summer sun, matter of fact. Okay, so let's talk heirloom tomatoes. I'm convinced they could cure anything. Maybe, I dunno, we'll figure that out later. It's funny though, when I walk into Whole Foods, the only thing, and the first thing, I think about are seeing the 'maters. I mean, it's like a laser-focus, aiming of the cart, get-outta-my-way-or-i'll-hurt-you-if-you-get-the-heirloom-tomato-that-I-want Nascar type movement. Literally grabbing 10 of them, I hear my Mountain Man say, "you realize these are like $7 a pound, right?"... yea, I do, SO WHAT. They are worth every penny. And the best way to use them is in a Caprese Salad. 

 

Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes. Fresh Basil. Mozzarella. Homemade Pesto. Balsamic Reduction.

That's it. But, check this out. Mozzarella is out, Burrata. It's just so cool. It's kinda like on Mean Girls where they can only wear pink on Monday's... No? Like Burrata is so special that you can't eat it every day. Only on Monday's, while wearing pink, and hangin' out with pre-rehab LaLohan. In all honesty, I could eat it every night, but could not afford the price of fresh, large Burrata balls. To finish this off, and oh simply, place the Burrata in the center of a plate and top it with a drizzle of olive oil and a spinkle of salt & pepper. The homemade pesto and balsamic reduction make + take the meal, here. There is a perfect sweetness when those two besties are thrown into the salad. All you have to do, is burst that Burrata open and let that cream take control of you, let the creamy glory rush all over your body, and slowly make it back down to reality. This shit is gonna be good, more like, great. AND, anyone could pull it off!! Enjoy :)

up-close of a pre-cut burrata. 

i swear it might burst. 

whup, there it goes. 

For the Caprese Salad:

Gorgeous Rainbow Heirloom Tomatoes, Cut into Chunks or Slices

Fresh Basil Chiffonade

Prepared Balsamic Reduction, For Drizzling

Burrata Cheese Balls (whole)

Homemade Pesto, For Topping

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Directions:

1. For the Caprese Salad: Place the ball of Burrata cheese in the center of a plate. Artfully pile the chunks (or slices) of rainbow heirloom tomatoes around the cheese. Sprinkle the basil Chiffonade all over the salad, along with a drizzle of balsamic reduction, olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Top the Burrata cheese with a scoop of homemade pesto.

2. Enjoy with a glass of wine and relax during this awesomeness!!

**I pre-apologize for the simplicity of this recipe, don't hate me**

Brown Butter-Brown Sugar-Bourbon Bread Pudding with Salty Butterscotch Sauce & Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze

Brown Butter-Brown Sugar-Bourbon Bread Pudding with Salty Butterscotch Sauce
+ Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze

SOOOOOOOOO I'm backkkkkkkk. Yippee (does anyone actually say that anymore?). Okay, so let's get onto the recipe. One of my favorite recent desserts to date. I hate traditional bread pudding. SOGGY BREAD? Ew. Canned fruit cocktail... Get'outta'here. But, this... this, my friend, is a Southern girl's dream. This is layered with buttery brioche and chewy & crusty french baguette, and then covered in a custard made with brown butter, brown sugar, bourbon, eggs, cream, milk, and vanilla. The layering process is key. First start with stale or slightly hardened bread, cube it up, air it out... just let it all hang out. The next day, you have to layer. I did this by making an even layer of brioche bread, stuffed in the middle was the torn baguette bread. Press those chaotic guys in tightly and do another layer of brioche bread to pack it all in again. This will make perfectly cut cubes, superb for serving!! Soak the bad b*tch, long + had, until it's ooey-gooey. After that, you bake it until golden brown, but super moist and melty-yummy. The sauces are optional, but I feel they are a requirement. We made a Salty Butterscotch Sauce and a Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze to douse the bread pudding squares... ya know to soak them even more. And if you wanna go into early hypertension, do this whole 'thang a la mode with a scoop of brown butter ice cream!! Enjoy :)

For the Bread Pudding:

1lb Brioche Bread, Trimmed of Crusts & Cut into Squares (sandwich-like slices)

½lb French Baguette, Torn or Cut into 2inch Pieces

1 ½C Dark Brown Sugar

2 Sticks of Melted, Brown Butter (make sure it has cooled, so it won’t curdle the eggs)

5 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten

4C Half & Half

1C Whole Milk

¼C High Quality Bourbon

3T Vanilla Extract

¼t Cinnamon (scant)

1t Sea Salt

For the Salty Butterscotch Sauce:

4T Unsalted Butter, Melted

½C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

½C Heavy Cream

½t Sea Salt

1 ½t Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling (or any high quality flaky salt)

  

For the Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze:

4T Unsalted Butter, Melted

2T Bourbon

1C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

½C Heavy Cream

1 Vanilla Bean, Split & Scraped for Seeds

Pinch of Salt (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Prepping the Bread: Cut the loaf or loaves of Brioche bread into thick, sandwich-like slices. Trim the slices of all of their crusts and make sure they are straight edged squares or rectangles. There is no exact measurement for these bread squares; I just cut them, so that I could lay them in a flat layer on the bottom of the baking dish (only use a half pound of the brioche bread, save the other half of the pound for repeating this process for the top layer). In reference to the baguette bread, either tear them into rustic pieces or cut them into roughly 2inch cubes. Let the bread sit for a few hours so that they can become somewhat stale or lightly toast them in the oven to dry them out some. By doing this, the bread pudding will soak up more of the custard, but also retain the texture and shape of the bread without becoming completely mushy while cooking.

2. Layering the Bread: There will be three layers of bread: a flat bottom layer of brioche, a middle layer of cubed or torn baguette bread, and a final top layer of brioche (exactly like the bottom layer).  So, to begin, spray a large square dish or 13x9-inch baking pan with Pam. Layer a half-pound of brioche bread slices in the bottom of the prepared pan. This layer should be flat and even, while also covering every inch of the pan (you will have to cut some of the larger slices of bread into smaller squares and fit them into the open spaces, squeezing them in like a puzzle). Top the bottom brioche layer with the pieces of baguette bread, making sure they are evenly distributed, but completely packed into the pan. At this time, set the bread meant for the top layer aside because we want to soak the bottom layers some with the custard to ensure even soaking.

3. Making the Custard: In a large mixing, bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and brown butter until a loose, wet sand is formed. Add in the lightly beaten eggs and whisk again until the eggs have blended into the sugar. Pour in all of the liquid… the half & half, milk, bourbon, and vanilla extract, and beat until the custard is creamy and smooth. Lastly, season with salt.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Finishing the Bread Pudding: Pour half of the custard mixture over the two layers of bread, making sure to lightly press the bread with your hands, so that they absorb all of the liquid. Next, place the other half-pound of brioche bread slices on top of the custard-soaked bread layers by repeating the same process of laying them flatly on top of the baguette pieces (just do exactly what you did for the bottom layer). Gradually pour the remaining custard mixture over the top brioche layer. Once again, press the bread with your hands to help them equally soak up all of the liquid. Spray the top of the soaked bread with some Pam to prevent sticking. Cover the entire baking dish with plastic wrap, and then cover with aluminum foil. Place the bread pudding pan into a larger roasting pan and pour in hot water halfway up the sides (this creates a water bath and ensures perfectly moist bread pudding).

6. Baking the Bread Pudding: Bake the bread pudding (covered) for an hour.  After an hour of baking, remove the aluminum foil and plastic wrap and bake another 15-20 minutes. Remove the bread pudding from the oven and use a knife to loosen the edges. Invert the bread pudding onto another buttered baking sheet and return it to the oven to bake a final 15-20 minutes. This will ensure that both sides of the bread pudding are golden brown in color and perfectly crisped. Let the bread pudding sit on a cooling rack, so that it can firm up and set properly. In the meantime, make the salty butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean-bourbon glaze.

7. For the Salty Butterscotch Sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, cream, and salt. Whisk until blended and bring it to a very gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Pour the sauce into a bowl and sprinkle the top with vanilla bean fleur de sel. Keep warm until you are ready to drizzle it over the bread pudding.

8. For the Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Glaze: Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, and then whisk in the melted butter and bourbon, stirring until combined. Mix in the heavy cream, vanilla bean seeds, and a pinch of salt until a creamy glaze has been formed. Set aside until you are ready to drizzle it over the bread pudding.

9. Serving the Bread Pudding: Cut a large square of the warm bread pudding and place it onto a serving plate. Drizzle the top of the square with the salty butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean-bourbon glaze (and as for concerning leftovers, place a serving of cold bread pudding in a bowl, douse it in some of the salty butterscotch sauce, and reheat it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute; this will ensure that it is extra soft and moist in texture). If you want to make it extra decadent, pile on a scoop of homemade brown butter or vanilla bean ice cream to make it a la mode.

extra drizzled

A la Mode with Brown Butter Ice Cream... the only way to do this.