‘Tis the season to go all out…’, so how about starting the festive Holiday Season with this brunch treat that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. This Chez-original says “Welcome to the Yuletide” like no other dish, and the salty and sweet combo along with the yeasty goodness ‘makes the season bright’.- Chez
Ingredients:
· 8 x 8 cake pan
· parchment paper
· 10 each glazed, yeast dough nuts (Krispy Kreme would work well), cut into eighths
· 12 pieces, thick cut bacon, cut into strips and fried crisp.
· 1 ½ cup eggnog
· 6 eggs
· pinch salt
· 1/2 tsp nutmeg
· 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
· 1/4 tsp cinnamon
· 1/4 vanilla extract
· toasted pecans (garnish)
Instructions:
Cut parchment paper and place in 8 x 8 pan, so that the pan’s entire surface is covered.(If you forget this step you will be very, very sad… so don’t forget it! Trust me, you will thank me later.)
Mix together eggs, nutmeg, eggnog and salt and whisk until well mixed and it develops a good froth… 2 minutes.
Place doughnut pieces in prepared cake pan and sprinkle bacon bits among the doughnut pieces.
Pour egg/eggnog mixture over doughnut & bacon pieces. Gently press down to make sure doughnuts remain submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for 3 hours… or better yet, overnight!
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine cream cheese, cinnamon and vanilla in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside. DO NOT refrigerate!
Once the oven is at temperature, remove pudding from refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Once done, place on cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan (see, I told you that you would thank me for the parchment paper.) and place on a cake platter.
Drizzle or ‘frost’ pudding with cream cheese topping, scatter with toasted pecans, slice and and serve.
