Lactose

Recently I discovered I'm moderately lactose intolerant. This means for the last three months I've had to pass up on all kinds of great food because of the dairy content. There are certain things I can still have, due to the very low lactose content, but generally I have found it easier to avoid dairy almost entirely. It's too hard to know how much dairy is in something I didn't make myself.

In my mind I've been toying with the idea of trying to assemble a list of foods, baked goods and such, that are lactose free. We have bakeries around here that are vegan, and gluten-free, but what I'm looking for is more of a hybrid. I still want all the flavor that eggs and butter provide. I still want the texture of wheat flour. I just don't want any milk that will put me down in bed for hours, like I've been poisoned.

Last night was a movie night at my house. (!!! :D) It was my first chance to entertain a group of people since we moved here. I really miss doing that. I made a meatloaf, mashed potatoes and a bread pudding with peach coulis. My friend Barrie brought a side dish made with bulger wheat, chick peas, and an assortment of veggies; it was really tasty. I tried my hand at a dessert with no milk, and it turned out good enough that I'm going to force the recipe on the rest of you now. ;)

With no further ado, my bread pudding recipe, sans lactose:

Lemon Spice Bread Pudding
adapted from Epicurious.com

6 cups 1-inch bread cubes with crust; I used orange bread rolls
5 tablespoons butter, melted

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 3/4 cups Almond milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
4 cardamom pods, crushed
2 whole star anise*
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Peach-Lemon coulis to top

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss bread and melted butter on large rimmed baking sheet to coat. Place bread in oven and toast until golden, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, scrape seeds from vanilla bean into heavy medium saucepan; add bean. Add almond milk, cream, cardamom, star anise, and lemon peel to pan and bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes. Strain.

Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture. Add bread and toss gently to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter casserole dish. Transfer bread mixture to prepared dish. Place casserole in larger pan, and pour water in larger pan up to the half-way point on the casserole dish. (This is called a bain marie, and it's extremely useful for dishes with eggs to keep them tender and set all the way through.) Bake until just set, about 55 minutes. Cool pudding at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with peach coulis.


Peach Coulis

4 ripe peaches, skins removed
juice from one lemon
sugar to taste (balance out the acid)

cut peaches from pit, place in blender. Juice on lemon in with peaches. Add sugar sparingly until mixture isn't too tart. Puree' until smooth. Transfer to stovetop and reduce some, make sure sugar is completely dissolved and everything is smooth.

Optional: Finish with small pat of butter.