Yurt Apple Bread Pudding

Before I moved out west, I had never heard of yurts. And when I was introduced to the concept, my initial reaction was that yurts seem to be glorified tents. However, as I've been inside more yurts and discovered their versatility, I now only jokingly refer to these structures as “nice circus tents.” Actually, yurts are amazing dwellings, and while they originated in Central Asia as temporary and portable living structures, they also are beautiful semi-permanent homes in this area.

A friend on the island lives in a yurt, and the reason I'm mentioning it is because of what a warm, cozy, and comfortable place it is. When I went there for dinner recently, the evening was chilly, but inside the yurt the temperature was lovely, and the subdued lights along with the circular skylight that is central to yurts made me, and the other guests, feel as though we were wrapped in blankets atop piles of fluffy pillows. The atmosphere of the place exuded a hospitable snugness, and I was pleased to have made a bread pudding that meshed in perfectly with my surroundings.

This recipe for Apple Bread Pudding comes, with a couple of modifications, from one of my new favorite cookbooks: The New Laurel's Kitchen. A vegetarian cookbook, it not only offers recipes for yummy healthful food, but it's a fantastic resource for all kinds of matters, from in-season vegetables to the the best foods for a growing child. And this bread pudding, though it was moist and slightly creamy, is not heavy. It is best right out of the oven, after cooling for ten or fifteen minutes, and I would recommend that the entire portion gets eaten that way; it does not reheat so well the next day. The grating of the apples took some time, but it was worth it, given the fragrance of the spectacular mixture of ingredients: apples along with cinnamon along with brown sugar. In addition to the intoxicating aroma, I was happy with the amount of calcium and fiber that the bread pudding has, thanks to the whole grain bread and the cottage cheese and milk. I'm not sure how the texture might change if whole milk cottage cheese and regular milk were used, but I found the low-fat versions worked very well with the dish.

Apple Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
2 cups grated apples
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cups whole grain bread, cubed small
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup raisins
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups skim milk
1 egg
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat an 8” x 8” pan with canola oil spray.
2. Grate the apples and toss with lemon juice.
3. Put 1/3 of the bread in the bottom of the pan. Cover with half the apple, half the cottage cheese, half the raisins, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
4. Blend the milk, egg, and sugar together and pour half over the ingredients in the pan. Repeat the layers of bread, apples, and liquid, ending with more bread. Pour the last of the milk mixture over the top, sprinkle with cinnamon, and dot with butter.
5. Let the pudding sit for 20 minutes. Bake, covered, for 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve.