Bread Pudding

While we were away last week, I had the most amazing piece of bread pudding. I usually do not like bread pudding. I had a small bite from Bob's plate and had to have my own. I didn't even know until after I had it that the dessert was bread pudding, that's how good it was. It just melted on your tongue and the spices used just exploded in your mouth.

Since I couldn't get the recipe off the chef, I figured I would find a recipe from one of my old cookbooks and give it a try. This recipe came from a cookbook printed by the Junior League of Baton Rouge, Inc. I've had this book forever and have often used it when I feel like making a little Southern dish.  Enjoy this recipe. The bread pudding is like a warm sticky bun drenched in butter and bourbon.

Ingredients: 3 TBSP butter, softened, 1.25 pounds of French or Italian bread*, 1 c raisins, 3 large eggs, 4 c whole milk, 2 c sugar, 2 TBSP vanilla, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, Whiskey sauce

Instructions: (1) Spread softened butter over a glass 13x9-inch baking pan/dish. (2) Cut bread into .5 inch-thick slices. Arrange slices almost upright in tightly spaced rows in dish. (3) Tuck raisins between the slices of bread. (4) Whisk until frothy the eggs. Add in milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and continue to whisk until incorporated. (5) Pour liquid over bread and let stand for 1 hour, pressing down the bread with a spatula to wet the top slices every now and then. (6)Preheat oven to 375F. Bake pudding until the top is puffed and lightly browned, approximately 1 hour. Cover with whiskey sauce and let cool on a rack for 30-60 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

*About 1.5-2 loafs of bread are used. You can try 1% or Fat Free milk if you want to lower some of the calories for this dessert.
*Whiskey Sauce. You need to heat in a saucepan, over low heat, 8 TBSP butter. Stir in 1 c sugar, 1/4 c bourbon or other whiskey, 2 TBSP water, 1/4 fresh grated or ground nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is blended. Remove from heat.  Whisk one large egg in a bowl until light and frothy and then vigorously whisk the egg into the liquor mixture. Set sauce over medium heat and, stirring gently, bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 1 min. Serve at once, set aside at room temperature for up to 8 hours, or let cool then cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat, stirring. If sauce separates, remove from the heat and whisk in a little warm water.
*If you want a milder Whiskey sauce, replace up to 1/2 of the whiskey with water. For a stronger sauce, replace the water with additional whiskey.
*Whatever you do, if you are transporting this dish by car try to put it in a Tupperware container. If you are pulled over, the cop might think you have been drinking. Just ask my friend Gwen.