Thursday, August 13, 2015

Bread Pudding with Boozy Caramel Sauce



Do you all remember the tale of two cheesecakes? Well, here is another story that led to the making of this, what I like to call, infamous bread pudding. Mr. O-P makes a mighty fine bread pudding (and there is a whole other story about this, and me, and German pancake, but I digress). A month ago, he had a hankering and decided he was going to make some. So, he bought one of those take-and-bake baguettes from the local market, brought it home, baked it, cut it into thirds to let it dry out a bit, and left it on the counter where it indeed did dry out, but also grew so much mold that you could have pet it. Into the trash it went. So much for that, I thought, but I was wrong. This same exercise took place four weeks in a row! Four baguettes, baked, sliced, dried, moldy, and into the trash. For a doer like me, it was quite vexing. Did I mention the quart of whole milk that he'd bought that slowly expired while lying in wait in the fridge? For a Type A like me, this was nothing short of maddening!

When he made his cheesecake, one of the ingredients was heavy cream. Now, we use a lot of heavy cream around here, just ask my hips. But, I am a date watcher, and he, a Type B is not, so it was with great horror that I looked at the date on this nearly full quart of expensive heavy cream and noticed that it was a day before expiration! As you may have guessed, I ended up making a bread pudding of my own. It was not without incident. I made my own cinnamon swirl challah that, while delicious, contained too much butter in the filling. It ran over the sides of the pan, burned and smoked on the bottom of the oven, setting off the smoke detectors, that ran, incessantly, for 25 minutes. When I could take the screeching no longer (Not to mention the robotic woman’s voice that warned, “Fire! Fire!”) I removed it from the oven and watched it collapse onto itself in the pan because it just hadn’t baked long enough. I’ll spare you further detail, but will say that I ended up saving it by turning it into cinnamon challah croutons, and ended up with this delicious bread pudding.
Bread Pudding with Boozy Caramel Sauce
Adapted from a recipe on epicurious.com

6 extra-large eggs
3 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1-pound loaf cinnamon challah, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons dark rum

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Put raisins in a small bowl and pour rum on top. Let stand while making the bread pudding.

Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk eggs in a large bowl until well blended and lemon colored. Add milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla; whisk to blend. Stir in cubed bread and rum raisins. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading to evenly distribute ingredients. Press down with palms of hands. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Bake pudding, uncovered, until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool slightly (pudding will fall). Serve warm with Boozy Caramel Sauce.

Boozy Caramel Sauce
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon whiskey
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Stir brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add cream, rum, whiskey, and cinnamon and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens and is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 5-7 minutes. Serve warm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)
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6 comments:

Linda said...

Lololol! Did Mr OP eat any of your bread pudding? It looks SO good - I would need the boozy sauce after all that. :D

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

My very favorite dessert is Bread Pudding. I love it and could eat the entire pan of it.

Did Mr OP eat any of your bread pudding? Bet he likes it.

One of the hotels I worked at the Chef found out that I loved Bread Pudding. So, he made a pan of it and it was so good. I asked how he made it, wait for it ..... he used day old danish rolls.
It was one of the best Bread Puddings I ever ate. He never wasted anything.
Thank for the recipe/
Mary

Mimi said...

Oh my gosh Patti. I can never leave your blog without mentally gaining 5lbs! I wonder if you'd share this gem at Five Star Frugal? I had to give the linky party a rest due to family commitments but we're up and running with a vengeance now, and I'd be thrilled to have you back. Love, Mimi xxx
http://atrayofbliss.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/five-star-frugal-14-and-raspberry.html

Michele said...

Oh my goodness, that sounds sinful! :-o Pinning!

Mimi said...

Patti, thanks for sharing at Five Star Frugal. This is on the menu for tonight here, as it's chilly and Wintery in Queensland. I'm holding you entirely responsible for any repeat performances and corresponding expansion of my waistline! Love Mimi xxx

Miz Helen said...

Hi Patti,
Wow this bread pudding is very special, I can almost taste it! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen