Two Words... Bread Pudding...

No dish for me has greater power, pulls from me the longing for comfort and delivers. I love the simplicity, the heritage it has, the variety it offers; sweet or savory. It stems from a cooks desire to not waste bread. It is the essence of frugality, taking bits of things one might not have much use for, soon to be tossed out and glorifies it into a spectacular dish. Rarely if ever, do I make it the same. It depends on what I have on hand. It's "recipe" is in my head, and has traveled with me in whatever country I am in, it is a go to dish that never fails to impress.
On a trip to Mexico with some friends we had picked up some yummy breads at a la panderia. The next day our bread on the counter was hard as a rock. What is that, eggs and milk in the fridge... hello my little Mexican bread pudding, I opened up all the sugar packets on hand and added Mexican Vanilla. My friend topped it off with a banana fosters caramel topping and yes, heaven was present.
When we were in Scotland on a family reunion, our last day in the manor, it was clean out the fridge day. We had fresh eggs, milk, cream, loaves of bread. I had to scour the sugar bowls for enough sugar. We had apples, so this one would be a apple compote bread pudding.
A sauce really helps to add flavor and extra moisture to it, so it might be a caramel sauce or buttermilk syrup. Lately a vanilla custard sauce, that will masquerade as a hazelnut, white chocolate raspberry sauce... You get the idea, sounds so decadent, and is crazy easy.
Usually for Christmas morning I do a version that I saw Paula Dean do using croissants. So I get a batch from Costco, this can be cut into chunks and frozen for when you are ready to use. All those great holes soak up the batter so nicely. This one I put in chocolate chips for pockets of yummy goodness. There really is no limitations, just whatever season you are in, what flavors are calling your name. For a savory version, I use cheese, onions, sausage and garlic, diced green chili's, herbs, sometimes bits of potatoes... a hardy dish for a breakfast or dinner.