Macadamia, Mango and Spring Strawberry Bread Pudding

By AntoniaJames • May 7, 2012 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: I recently hosted a neighborhood brunch to welcome a lovely young couple who just moved in across the street. I had wanted to make my pear cowboy coffee cake, but needed a vegetarian dish with protein in it, so I created instead a bread pudding studded with big chunks of spiced pears, topped with the same streusel topping as my coffee cake. Everyone loved it. Here, I’ve taken the same formula, but adapted it to use mango and tiny local strawberries instead of pears, coriander instead of cloves, and macadamia nuts instead of walnuts. Happy Mother’s Day!! ;o) - AntoniaJames

Serves 8

2 cups mango, cut into bite-sized pieces + the juice from cutting the mangoes
1 pint small organic strawberries, trimmed and halved
1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander, divided (½ teaspoon for the fruit, and 1 teaspoon for the topping)
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, divided ( ¼ teaspoon for the fruit, and ¾ teaspoon for the topping)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (optional)
1 teaspoon Korintje cinnamon, divided (¼ teaspoon for the fruit, and 3/4 teaspoon for the topping)
6 tablespoons of brown sugar, divided
1 one-pound loaf of challah, cut into 1 ½“ cubes
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons very cold butter, cut into small cubes
½ cup medium coconut shards (unsweetened) (or medium grated, if necessary)
1 cup lightly toasted macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped (Measure after chopping.)
2 ½ cups half-and-half (or a combination of heavy cream and regular milk)
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (325 if using a convection oven). Generously butter a 9” x 13” baking dish.
In a large bowl, toss the mango pieces with their reserved juice and the strawberries with ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, the cardamom (if using) and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
Add the cubes of challah and toss again. Put it all in the prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs and yolks just until uniform in color, then add the half-and-half, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and the vanilla extract. Whisk some more, until thoroughly combined.
Pour that over the challah and fruit in the pan. Press the bread down gently with the back of a spoon to help the top pieces soak up the liquids, then very gently bring the bottom layer up to the top. Press down again, gently.
Make the topping: In a food processor, pulse three or four times the butter, the remaining spices (1 teaspoon coriander, 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg and ¾ teaspoon cinnamon), 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, the salt, and the wheat germ. You want to break down the butter into smaller but still visible bits. It’s okay if they’re of irregular size and shape. You can do this with your fingertips in a bowl if you don’t wish to use a food processor.
Put that in a medium bowl and then add the coconut and macadamia nuts. Stir well to combine. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pudding.
Bake for 45 – 50 minutes. The custard should be set and the topping lightly browned. Check after 30 minutes and tent lightly with foil if the topping seems to be darkening too quickly.
Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy! ;o)