Blueberry-Pomegranate Bread Pudding with Key Lime Curd

As they say, necessity is the mother of ingenuity.  I was in need of a dessert to go with mustard crusted lamb and swiss chard.  With little more than baking staples, frozen berries and the remains of a multi-grain baguette, I whipped up with this hip twist on a classic comfort food within an hour.  The pomegranate juice keeps the pudding moist and adds depth and interest to the blueberries.  The tart key lime topping is a nice contrast to the sweet pudding.  Next time you find yourself in need of a comforting dessert give this one a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

This pudding would be a nice end to an Easter dinner.  The unique combination of flavors makes it worthy of a special occasion and the key lime curd definitely adds a “spring” quality to the pudding.

 

Blueberry-Pomegranate Bread Pudding with Key Lime Curd

 

For the Bread Pudding

½ C. pomegranate juice

¾ C. granulated sugar

1 ¼ C. skim milk

3 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

4 C. leftover bread (multi-grain baguette works well), cut into small pieces

 

Key Lime Curd

1 egg

1/3 C. granulated sugar

¼ C. key lime juice

1 Tbs. butter

 

1.         Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine wet ingredients (juice through vanilla) in a medium bowl and whisk until slightly frothy.  Add bread to juice mixture and let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to two hours.  Stir a few times to moisten all sides of the bread.

 

2.         While bread mixture sits, make the key lime curd.  Make an ice bath (fill a large bowl with ice and water, leaving some room at the top).   Heat small saucepan over medium, add egg and whisk to break up the yolk.  Add sugar and whisk until sugar is incorporated and the mixture is a creamy light yellow color (it’s ok if it looks slightly grainy).  Add key lime juice and continue to whisk until fully incorporated.  Add in butter and continue to whisk until melted and combined with other ingredients.  Once the mixture has thickened slightly (after about 2 minutes), remove from heat and place saucepan in ice bath to cool curd.

 

3.         Coat a 9.5” square baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.  Pour moistened bread mixture into prepared baking dish.  Place in center of preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the pudding is set but not dry.  Cool for 5-10 minutes.  Cut into squares and drizzle with key lime curd before serving. 

 

Makes 6-8 servings

 

Tips:

• I like to use Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice.  It’s 100% pom juice and thicker than other brands I have tried (such as the shelf-stable jars that aren’t refrigerated until opened).  Pomegranate juice is tart with a hint of natural sweetness.  I used plain pomegranate juice but Pom also makes a blueberry pomegranate flavor, which would work well in this recipe.
  
• If I am not juicing fresh key limes, I use Nelly and Joe’s Key Lime Juice