By Sybil Kaplan

These first two recipes are my parve adaptations of Food & Wine recipes.

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding

6-8 servings

• 16 slices leftover cinnamon-raisin challah
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted, melted pareve margarine
• 4 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 cup non-dairy whipping cream
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a rectangular baking dish.
2. Brush both sides of each bread slice with melted margarine. Arrange in prepared dish.
3. In a bowl, whisk eggs with egg yolks until blended. Whisk in sugar, pareve milk, pareve cream and vanilla. Pour over bread, pressing on slices to make sure they’re evenly moistened.
4. Place baking dish in larger roasting pan filled with water halfway up the sides. Bake in preheated 350 degree F, oven 25 minutes or until the top is lightly brown, and custard is set. Remove from oven to a rack and let the custard rest 15 minutes.

Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over custard.

Raisin Studded Apple Bread Pudding

6 servings

• 1 pound white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 apple, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 3 large eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a rectangular baking dish.
2. Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and add the apple and half the raisins.
3. In a bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar for 3 minutes. Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and vanilla.
4. In a saucepan, heat non-dairy milk, brown sugar and honey. Add to egg yolk mixture. In another bowl, beat egg whites until stiff then fold into custard.
5. Pour custard over bread mixture and stir until moistened. Let stand 5 minutes. Distribute the rest of the raisins. Sprinkle almonds on top. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven 40 minutes until puffed and set and lightly browned on top.

Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

6 servings

This came from Good Housekeeping magazine of 2005 with some changes.

• ½ loaf white bread (8 ounces) or
• leftover challah
• 1 ½ bananas, sliced into ½-inch thick chunks
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup pareve semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a round springform or cake pan at least 2 inches deep.
2. In a large bowl whisk eggs, non-dairy milk and sugar. Gently stir in bread, bananas and chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, pressing down bread to absorb cream mixture.
3. Spoon mixture into baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven 45-50 minutes until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool or serve warm.

Sybil Kaplan is a Jerusalem-based journalist, author, compiler/editor of 9 kosher cookbooks and food writer for North American Jewish publications. She leads walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English.