Strawberry Overnight Bread Pudding

Guess what?! We just booked tickets to Europe for later this summer. Our plan: explore Barcelona, eat as many tapas as our bellies can hold and then drive across the border to France to eat as many French-everything we can. Oh, and to see the sights. I just can’t help it as our vacations revolve around food. Isn’t that best (um, only) way to experience a culture?

In celebration of our summer trip and Mother’s Day, I’m incorporating a French classic into a perfect breakfast for serving in bed to Mom (or in all honesty, to yourself). Strawberries are a sign that spring is in full force, so I used Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves and juicy strawberries to flavor an irresistible bread pudding that’s sweet and fruity but not too sweet it leans more dessert. Although I won’t tell if you top it with ice cream and call it dessert. But the best part about this whole thing? It can be made the night before and baked in the morning for a fuss-free breakfast. While it’s baking, you can slice fruit, make coffee, arrange flowers, and write that Mother’s Day card you remembered to get...

What I love about Bonne Maman is that they preserve fruits at their peak, so the natural sweetness and fruit flavors really come out. They are also non-GMO project verified, use no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial coloring, and no preservatives. That's a lot of wins in my book. In this bread pudding, to make sure every single bite has a punch of strawberry, I make strawberry preserve sandwiches and cut them into cubes. Those cubes get tossed with fresh strawberries and bathed in an egg and almond milk mixture. After soaking overnight and baking in the morning, each slice is topped with toasted almonds, coconut, and coconut whip (or real whipped cream or Greek yogurt if dairy-free isn’t your thing) and drizzled with maple syrup.

What better way to celebrate spring and the best Mom in the world?

Strawberry Overnight Bread Pudding

Coconut oil, for greasing the pan
10 slices whole grain sandwich bread (I used a seeded bread), preferably a little stale
5 tablespoons Bonne Maman Strawberry preserves
1 ¼ cups chopped fresh strawberries, plus more for serving
5 eggs
1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for serving
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

For serving:
½ cup toasted almonds, chopped (optional)
¼ cup toasted shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
Coconut whipped cream, whipped cream, or Greek yogurt (optional)

Grease bottom and sides of 1 ½ quart baking dish. Make preserves sandwiches. Spread 5 slices with 1 tablespoon each of Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves. Top with another slice to make a sandwich, pressing gently to adhere. Slice each sandwich into 16 cubes. Spread half of cubes in bottom of baking dish. Scatter with half of chopped strawberries. Top with remaining sandwich cubes and strawberries.

Whisk eggs until no longer stringy. Add almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and whisk to combine. Pour mixture over bread and strawberries and press gently to submerge as best you can. Not everything will be covered, but you want each piece to be in some of liquid. Cover with foil and allow to sit in fridge for 8 hours or overnight.**

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pan in oven and bake, covered, for 55-65 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove foil cover to allow top to brown. Pudding will be done when it is no longer jiggly, the top is golden, and it feels just firm to touch. Remove from oven and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Resting will allow you to get the cleanest slices. Top with almonds, coconut, freh strawberries, and whipped topping of choice. Drizzle with additional maple syrup, if desired. Serves 6

**Pudding can be baked immediately and the flavor will still be delicious, but the texture improves with an overnight soak as the bread softens in the egg mixture.

This post was sponsored by Bonne Maman but opinions expressed are entirely my own. P.S. They are running an awesome giveway. Click below to enter!

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry and Mozzarella Pizza

It may seem like a waste to take juicy, perfectly ripe sweet strawberries and roast them, but I promise you, the result is worth it. In fact, you can even use those less-than-perfect strawberries and roasting them will turn them into something sweet and special. Syrupy balsamic vinegar and strawberries is a classic combination. When the strawberries are roasted, their sweetness is even more enhanced and the vinegar brightens it all up.

These roasted strawberries could really be put to use on anything- served atop crostini with ricotta or brie or goat's milk cheese, swirled into yogurt, or mixed with whipped cream or coconut whipped cream. These strawberries spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream even sounds dreamy right now. This recipe was loosely inspired by Heidi Swanson's Roasted Strawberry recipe in her book, Super Natural Every Day. Heidi uses a hefty dose of maple syrup and some port wine to flavor her strawberries, but I enjoy the combination of honey and strawberries here.

I took the savory route and tossed them atop a simple white pizza with fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and toasted pine nuts. Think of these strawberries replacing the tomatoes on a margarita pizza. The burst of sweetness you get with them combined with the salty cheese is addicting. I use a favorite crust of mine that I make at home, but your favorite pizza dough should work. I combine whole wheat flour, semolina flour, and cornmeal with water, yeast, honey, olive oil and salt in the food processor, blitz until a dough ball forms and allow the dough to rise before dividing it into smaller pieces. I am hoping to share that recipe on the blog soon, but in the meanwhile, just use your favorite pizza crust.

Balsamic Roasted Strawberry and Mozzarella Pizza

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries
8 ounces strawberries, washed and hulled and halved (quartered if large strawberries)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey, preferably local
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar

Pizza
8 ounces (1/2 pound) of your favorite pizza dough
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn roughly into pieces
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup roughly torn fresh basil leaves
salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare roasted strawberries. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the strawberries with the olive oil, honey, and salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 40 minutes or until soft and the liquid is bubbling around them. Remove from the oven, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to combine. Set aside.

Prepare the pizza. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the bottom rack as the oven heats. Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cornmeal or flour and place dough in the center. Roll the dough out to about 1 centimeter thick, adding more cornmeal or flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Drizzle the crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmigiano-reggiano. Scatter fresh mozzarella over top, and sprinkle with roasted strawberries, drizzling pizza with any remaining syrup that has collected in the pan of strawberries. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly and just beginning to turn golden in spots. Remove from oven, sprinkle with pine nuts, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy! Makes 1 pizza or enough to serve 2-4 people.

Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam

Homemade fruit jam is one of those things that I always tell myself to make when the fruit is in peak season, but I have yet to take the plunge. There are a few things stopping me. First, I would often rather eat the perfectly ripe fruit plain or in a dish that celebrates its freshest form. Second, the act of canning sort of scares me. Supposedly it is nothing to be intimidated about, as you just make sure your jars are sterilized, you have enough sugar in them to prevent spoilage, and that they are completely sealed. Basically, I have a romantic idea of canning and preserving, but in all likelihood, it will remain an idea.

So what am I to do if I want homemade jam to slather on toast, swirl into yogurt, or dollop on my oatmeal but without all of the fuss? Make chia jam! Chia jam is essentially fruit + sweetener + chia seeds that are blended together and allowed to sit until the chia seeds swell and create a jelly-like texture. I had seen chia jam in a few places before attempting my own, but the Raspberry Chia Jam from Sarah of A House in the Hills had attracted my attention for its ease and simplicity.

In my version, I used frozen strawberries (thawed), honey, chia seeds, and the beans of half of a vanilla pod because strawberry-vanilla chia jam sounded fancier. And for the record, it tastes fancier, too. If you do not have a vanilla bean, you can leave the vanilla out or substitute 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Strawberry Vanilla Chia Jam

1 1/4 cup frozen strawberries, thawed
1 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 vanilla bean pod, seeds removed (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until mostly smooth. Pour in a jar and allow to set for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate to store and use within the week. Makes about 8 ounces.

**I served this on a toasted multi-grain bread with ricotta cheese and toasted almonds, but the possibilities are endless, including on my Lemon Ricotta Pancakes!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Love Potion

Valentine's Day is as much about expressing your love for yourself as it is for expressing love to your friends, family, and significant other. This smoothie, or potion as I'm calling it, is the perfect way to wake up this Valentine's Day and say, "Self, I love you." Of course you can also make it for a loved one as an extra special treat to go with their breakfast in bed. It's easy on the eyes, and oh so yummy on the tastebuds. It requires a little thought the night before, but the result is worthwhile. It has healthy fats and protein from the chia and hemp seeds and energizing and antioxidant-fighting properties from goji berries, cacao powder, and maca powder. Strawberries, bananas, and spinach will provide nourishing Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin A, and fiber. Did I say it tastes like a chocolate dipped strawberry? Sip, sip away.

1 1/2 c. unsweetened nut milk or soymilk, dairy milk, or water- your choice
2 T. unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 T. chia seeds
1 T. hemp seeds
2 T. goji berries
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 banana, peeled, broken into three pieces, and frozen
3/4 c. frozen strawberries
1 T. cacao powder
1 t. maca powder, optional but delicious
1 generous handful of spinach
Cacao nibs, optional for garnish
Dark chocolate, grated, optional for garnish

The night before, soak the coconut, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and goji berries in the liquid of choice. You can do this right in the blender.

In the morning, add the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with cacao nibs and chocolate shavings if you would like. Enjoy!

Serves 2