Chocolate, Cranberry, and Creamy Custard Bread Pudding ( in Honor of Amanda Hesser )

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 -Tear or cut bread into small ( app 1 in cubes) and place in (app) 4 quart casserole oven -safe baking dish. In a saucepan heat milk on low heat. Break eggs into a bowl mixing till frothy. Add beaten egg to lukewarm milk and continue to stir till it begins to thicken to a custard consistancy. Pour custard mixture over the bread being sure to fully soak the bread ( you can gently press down bread with a fork so milk custard rises above the bread) . Evenly add in the dried sweet cranberries & broken pieces of chocolate ( saving a small handful to garnish with). Place on middle rack of oven and cook for 15 minutes then add uniformly remaining cranberry ,chocolate pieces, & butter and put back into the oven for another 15 min or so until custard and bread have united and is fully cooked, cranberries have plumped, chocolate and butter have melted . The perfect consistancy is when custard is cooked but still soft and fuses with the bread so once cooled and cut holds a perfect shape. You don't want runny nor hard...Here's to you Amanda- Congratulations you now also have a recipe in your honor ! And to everyone else Happy Thanksgiving.