When I purchased the beautiful cookbook Alpine Cooking, and subsequently published a post on fabulous liptauer, I wrote in that post that I wish I was a skier. But to clarify, I don’t want to actually ski, just wear the cute snow suits and giant fur boots, and partake in apres ski! Think – a ski chalet ambiance, snow-covered mountains, raclette, patés and terrines, good bread, wine and hot buttered rum…

So when I spotted and purchased the book the Ski House Cookbook, “warm winter dishes for cold weather fun,” I was excited. And hopeful. Unfortunately the book was thoroughly disappointing, unlike Alpine Cooking, shown below right.

The book was written by Tina Anderson and Sarah Pinneo, and published in 2007. I only marked 4 recipes in the cookbook, and that was me just trying not to face the fact that I wasted money.

There are pancakes, granola, sandwiches, snacks, pasta dishes that we’ve all made before. Really just this dessert recipe stood out to me, even though I don’t really like bread puddings, don’t eat desserts typically, and don’t enjoy milk chocolate.

A few years ago when I needed brioche for my raisin bread stuffing, I purchased a brioche mix from King Arthur Flour. It was really good, and easy to make. After trimming the loaf weighed 1 1/2 pounds. This is what I made again for this bread pudding recipe.

Milk Chocolate Bread Pudding
Printable recipe below

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound milk chocolate, chopped, about 4 cups
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
Unsalted butter
1 loaf brioche or Pullman bread, cut into 1” cubes, about 12 cups

Combine the milk, cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat. Add the chocolate, let stand for 3 minutes, and then whisk until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and hazelnut liqueur to combine. Very gradually add the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13” baking dish.

Add the bread to the chocolate mixture and toss to coat completely.

Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and allow to stand for 20 minutes.

Bake until set and browning on top, about 45 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

This actually turned out much better than I expected! The chocolate flavor is great and the cake is creamy and moist. But I did enjoy it more with some whipped cream!

And I’m still bummed out about the book.