Grainy-Nutty Apple Bread Pudding

In a mixing bowl combine:

1/2c  half & half

1T     Balsamic vinegar

1/2c  fruit-juice sweetened dried

          cranberries (craisins)

1/2c  walnut or pecan pieces

2       beaten eggs

The vinegar and half and half creates a buttermilk effect.  These 'wet' ingredients also rehydrate the cranberries (craisins) nicely as well as taking any bitterness out of the nuts.

4-5 pieces of bread*

4 flavorful apples (Macintosh shown here)

1/4c  Maple syrup

1/4c  butter

1/2t   salt

1T vanilla

1t  ground cinnamon

Cube - break up your favorite *grainy-fruity-nutty bread.  Put on a cookie sheet and into a 170° oven - stirring the bread several times to dry evenly.  This will take about an hour ±.

Meanwhile, if you want the apples peeled, a good way to do this is boil water in a 4qt. pot.  When water comes to a rolling boil, drop the apples in then stir gently, and turn until skins look shiny and stretched, about 1-2 minutes.  Take out and plunge into COLD water for a few minutes.  Peel, core, cut into pieces, dropping them right into the mixing bowl, gently stirring them in to coat with the half & half mixture, to prevent browning.

Put the Maple syrup, butter and salt in a heatproof container, microwave on low-medium setting just enough to warm the syrup and melt the butter.  Stir and add to the mixing bowl, along with the bread - when cubes are dry (not as dry as croutons however).  Gently combine all, let 'rest' on the countertop 10-45 minutes depending on how heavy your bread is.  This allows the bread to soften while preheating the oven.

Bake in a greased, 9"x13" glass pan @325° for -- minutes.  This would be nice heated a bit for breakfast, or served as a fruity-bready base for a big scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, as a dessert.  This recipe ended up pretty labor intensive, but I think totally worth it!  :-D . . .Lin