pear and chocolate bread pudding

Beautiful BC pears are in season right now and couldn't be tastier. I bought a box full at the Co-Op the other day and while we have eaten a few, they are now all ripe need to be used up. For a roast beef family dinner on Friday night we made this for dessert. It is in the October 2011 issue of Everyday Food Magazine in the "In Season" section.

PEAR AND CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

7 ounces brioche (or other rustic white bread**) cut into 1/2" slices, halved diagonally

1 1/2 lbs firm but ripe pears, very thinly sliced

3 large eggs PLUS 3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups whole milk*

1 1/4 cups heavy cream*

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp fine salt

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle (I love the word sprinkle;) bottom evenly with chocolate. Arrange bread in dish, alternating each slice with 3 or 4 pear slices.

In a large bowl gently whisk together eggs, egg yolks, milk, cream, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour mixture evenly over bread and let sit 5 minutes.

Bake until bread is puffed and custard is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool slightly.

RATINGS:

3 of 5 diners - 8.5 - "Would be better without chocolate"

2 of 5 diners - 9 - "The chocolate is what makes it better"

NOTE:

* I hadn't check the recipe before I started so I had to work with what I had on hand, half and half cream. So I just used 2 3/4 cups of it instead of combing milk and cream. I don't think there would have been any difference.

FUNNY:

** I picked up the bread at Superstore. I couldn't find brioche, so I asked the bakery manager. He said he had never heard of it and he has been a baker for 25 years! I think he needs to go back to school. I ended up using a regular French Loaf.

Also funny. This ended up kind of looking like a ham breakfast strata which I think turned us off a little bit.