Blackberry Bread Pudding with Lemon Whipped Cream

I know some people who have "comfort food" associations with bread pudding. I don't think I ever had bread pudding growing up...just not part of my family traditions. So this was a new one for me. The blackberries aren't actually any part of the pudding, so any bread pudding recipe (if you have a traditional family favorite) could simply be dressed up with some sweetened blackberries and lemony whipped cream.


Ingredients
1 large brioche loaf, cut into 1½ -inch cubes
3¾ C heavy cream
1¼ C sugar
zest of 1 lemon
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1½ pints fresh blackberries
1 Tbls lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet; toast until lightly golden brown on all sides, turning a few times (about 15 min). Remove and let cool slightly.

Bring cream, 1 cup sugar, and lemon zest to a simmer over medium heat.
Whisk together eggs and yolks in medium bowl.
Slowly whisk warm milk into eggs; add vanilla.

Transfer bread cubes to 9x15" baking dish. Pour custard mixture over bread; press bread to submerge in custard. Let sit (room temp) 30 minutes so bread absorbs more custard.

Place baking dish inside a larger roasting pan; fill outer pan with warm water halfway up sides of baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until puffed around edges, slightly jiggly in the center. Remove from water bath; let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Toss remaining ¼ C sugar with blackberries. Serve bread pudding topped with macerated berries
and Lemon Whipped Cream.

Lemon Whipped Cream
1½ C heavy cream
1½ Tbls powdered sugar
1 Tbls lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
½ tsp vanilla