Raspberry Cream Brown Betty - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for dishes
3 cups small bread cubes (1/4-inch)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (2 oz.)
2 tablespoons sugar (only if not using challah or brioche)
Pastry Cream
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from
2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar (4 1/2 oz.)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 egg yolks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Remaining
1/2 pint raspberries (1 cup)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0.
Butter six 5-ounce ramekins.
Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Once the bread is cool, toss it with the melted butter and sugar; set aside.
To make the pastry cream--put the vanilla bean seeds into a saucepan.
Add the half-and-half and vanilla pod and cook over med-low heat until hot but not boiling.
Separately, whisk the sugar and salt into the egg yolks and continue whisking until slightly thickened and lighter in color.
Add the cornstarch and whisk until combined.
Slowly pour half of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, stirring constantly until well blended.
Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble.
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and stir frequently until cool.
Distribute half of the bread cubes among the prepared ramekins.
Pour the pastry cream over the bread cubes, then put the berries atop the pastry cream.
Top with the remaining bread cubes.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops have browned and the berries bleed slightly.
Cool to room temperature.
Storage--this dessert is best eaten as soon as it is cooked, but any leftovers can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat at 325\u00b0 for about 10 minutes, until warmed through.