New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

I am often amused at the things that inspire me. I am currently involved in the sad task of clearing out the house that my mother and dad shared for over 30 years. As you can imagine, it is quite a challenge. It’s not just 30 years of memories, but a lifetime of memories, as many of them had been moved from their previous home. On the plus side, I have uncovered some real treasures. My mother, though not the dish-collecting enthusiast that I am, did manage to hold her own. I will end up with some beautiful sets of dishes.

While cleaning out the hutch in the breakfast nook I came upon a darling little wavy-edged, yellow, square Italian baking dish. I thought it was as cute as a button, and the first thing I that I wanted to make in it was bread pudding. Don’t ask me why, it’s small, and only makes servings for four, but it was so darned cute, that I couldn’t resist.

The result was excellent! I was put onto this recipe by fellow blogger Alycia Nichols from Tablescapes at Table 21. I’m sure a lot of you know her. She had made rice pudding (that still sounds good to me) and sent me her recipe for rice pudding, and the whiskey sauce that she used to top it. The whiskey sauce was a part of this bigger recipe. I tinkered with it a little bit to make it more flavorful, and it really is delicious. Add more whiskey if you like, it’s cold and flu season, you’re probably doing yourself a favor in the long run.

New Orleans-Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

 Adapted from One Dish Kitchen

5 cups cubed challah bread

1 tablespoon butter

2 large eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup whiskey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

WHISKEY SAUCE

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup whiskey

½ teaspoon whiskey flavoring

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 8 x 6 - inch baking dish with the tablespoon of butter; set aside.

Place the cubes of bread in a large bowl; set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, whiskey, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour over the bread and gently stir to combine. Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Transfer the bread mixture to the baking dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 45 to 50 minutes.

While the bread pudding is baking, make the whiskey sauce.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the cornstarch, whiskey, and whiskey flavoring into a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

Pour the whiskey mixture into the cream mixture and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and stir in the butter.

After the bread pudding has finished baking, remove from the oven and pour Whiskey Sauce over the top; serve warm.

Makes 2 massive appetite servings or 4 regular ones.

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If you like your bread pudding with a bit of chocolate added, then you will love Sunset 44 Bistro's Bread Pudding.

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