Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Olive Oil-Pine Nut Semifreddo and Creme Anglaise

It's Mother's Day today, so I wanted to make something special for my mom. Rhubarb season just started, and our family is big fans of the tart vegetable. Bread pudding is always a big hit whenever I make it. I made it for Peter's Eats Night 2, and everyone raved about it, so it's been my go-to dessert since. I wanted it to be a little fancy because it's such a special day, so an olive oil-pine nut semifreddo seemed like a great "out there" combo. The creme anglaise was a last minute decision because I needed egg whites for the semifreddo, so I needed something to do with the egg yolks.

Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Olive Oil-Pine Nute Semifreddo and Creme Anglaise

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Loave Challah bread, cubed
1 pound fresh rhubarb (about 6 hefty stalks), cut into 1/2-inch slices, or 4 cups frozen rhubarb
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup heavy cream

3 egg whites

1/2 cup olive oil, preferably a fruity variety

1 cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

Directions

1. To make the Bread Pudding:In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla, and salt. Stir the bread into the egg mixture, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, pushing the bread down into the liquid from time to time.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the cinnamon. Gently stir the rhubarb mixture into the bread mixture. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake until golden brown and slightly puffed, 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.
3. Beat the cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, set aside. Beat egg whites with olive oil.
4. Fold egg/olive oil into whipped cream, freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.
5. Combine egg yolks and sugar. Heat cream until small bubbles form.
6. Temper cream into the egg mixture, then pour it back into the pan and thicken until desired consistency.
7. Cut the Bread Pudding into a medium sized square. Spoon on Creme Anglaise. Top with Semifreddo.