Bread pudding with almond brittle and beer jelly recipe

Ingredients

• 7–8 quarts day-old Italian or French bread, enough to fill ½ hotel pan, cut into 1½” cubes
• 12 ounces sugar
• 9 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ whole nutmeg, grated
• 1 pound plus 12 ounces whole milk

• 2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
• 4 ounces cold water
• 8 ounces water
• 8 ounces granulated sugar
• 12 ounces Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Dogfish Head Raison D’Être is preferred

• 11 ounces sugar
• 4 ounces water
• 2 ounces honey
• 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¼ teaspoon plus 1⁄8 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup blanched, sliced almonds, toasted

For Bread Pudding
1. Grease pan well and fill with cubed bread. Whisk sugar, eggs, vanilla, and nutmeg in a bowl until well mixed and add in milk. Pour custard base over bread, pressing bread down to make sure it is all covered. Cover with foil and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Once mixture has rested, bake in oven for 45 minutes with foil on and an additional 15 minutes with foil removed, or until center is set. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and then slice into approximately 3" × 1" slices. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
For Beer Jelly
2. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it sit to soften. Meanwhile, simmer water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until all of the sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the gelatin to the simple syrup (sugar and water). Whisk until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Add the beer and pour the mixture into an ungreased sheet pan or brownie pan. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until set, about 4 hours. Slice into ½” cubes before plating.
For Almond Brittle
3. Cook sugar, water, honey, and butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until light caramel color. Remove from heat and whisk in soda, salt, and almonds. Quickly spread on Silpat-lined tray and pull pieces to stretch brittle into organic shapes. Allow to cool for several hours. Once hard can be stored covered at room temperature.
To Complete
4. Melt butter in sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 pieces of Bread Pudding, drizzle with caramel, and heat until warmed through about 3 to 8 minutes depending on the temp of the butter and size of the Bread Pudding, turning to coat. Place on plate, drizzle with more caramel, and top with whipped cream and a piece of Almond Brittle. Place cubes of Beer Jelly in random fashion on the plate. Serve immediately, with Dogfish Head’s Raison D’Être beer if you have it.