Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 apples (about 2 ½-lbs.)
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ plus 2/3 cups sugar
• 8 ounces French bread, crusts on, cut into ¾ -inch pieces (about 4-½ cups)
• 3 cups milk
• 1½ cups heavy (whipping) cream
• ½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs
• 5 large egg yolks
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• 1½ tablespoons sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Peel, core and slice the apples ¼ -inch thick.
3. Cook the apples, butter, apple and lemon juices and ¼ cup sugar in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium high heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes.
4. Evenly spread the apples into the bottom of a 2-½ quart baking dish. Place the bread pieces on top of the apples.
5. Combine the milk and cream in a large measuring cup or bowl.
6. Stir together the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan.
7. Heat the sugar over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
8. Brush the insides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to eliminate any sugar granules sticking to the sides.
9. Increase to high heat and cook, without stirring, until the sugar is amber colored, 8-10 minutes.
10. Remove the pot from the heat. Wearing oven mitts, slowly add ¾ cup of the milk mixture to the caramel. Be careful because the caramel will sputter as the milk is added.
11. Slowly whisk the milk into the caramel. If it sputters, stop stirring. Let the bubbles subside and then whisk again. Carefully whisk in the remaining milk. (If pieces of caramel harden, don't worry because they will melt when this is heated in the next step.)
12. Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Heat the caramel milk over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid is very hot and bubbles around the edges, about five minutes.
13. Whisk half of the caramel milk, a little at a time, into the eggs. Add the remaining milk and whisk until incorporated. Pour the caramel custard into the pan over the apples and bread pieces. Using a spatula, press the bread pieces into the liquid, coating them.
14. Bake the custard for 35 minutes. Stir together the cinnamon, ginger, and the remaining 1-½ tablespoons sugar in a small bowl.
15. At the end of the 35 minutes of baking, sprinkle the sugar over the top of the bread pudding. Continue baking for about 10 more minutes until the tips of the bread are golden brown and a small knife inserted in the middle comes out coated with thickened custard.
16. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve the bread pudding warm. It can be reheated. If you make it more than 3 hours in advance, refrigerate the pudding. It can be made up to a day in advance. Reheat in a preheated 325-degree oven.

Recipe by Emily Luchetti. Reprinted with permission from Emily Luchetti.