Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Sauce

 

About once a month I make a loaf of challah bread.  From this one loaf we get a delicious, ample slice of toast for breakfast, amazing croutons for our salad, a tasty grilled cheese sandwich, French toast for breakfast the following morning, and bread pudding for dessert.  All of that from one loaf.

Bread pudding used to be something from which I would recoil.  I mean bread, and (gulp) pudding?!  It sounds like some cruel joke.  Come to find out the joke was on me.  It is tasty, comforting, and with the addition of my favorite Irish whiskey, ever so warming and relaxing.

Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Sauce

2/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup brandy

4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

4 cups day-old challah* with crusts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pecans, toasted, chopped

1 Tablespoon Irish whiskey

Irish Whiskey Sauce (see below)

Combine raisins and 1/3 cup brandy (or bourbon, or rum) in small bowl. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain and save liquid.

Butter an 8-inch square glass baking dish.  In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and raisin soaking liquid. Place bread, raisins, and pecans in prepared dish. Toss lightly with fingers until mixed.  Pour milk mixture over and let stand 5 minutes. Push down bread into custard. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, smashing bread down into the custard occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place bread pudding in large metal baking pan. Add enough hot water to come up the side of the bread pudding dish about an inch. Bake until pudding is puffed and golden brown on top, approximately 50 minutes. Remove dish with bread pudding from water and cool slightly. Brush top with the tablespoon of whiskey.  Cut into rounds using a 3” biscuit cutter. Serve warm with sauce.

Irish Whiskey Sauce
 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons whipping cream

Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey (I use Jameson)
½ teaspoon tangerine zest (I use Melissa’s Ojai Pixie Tangerines)

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in sugar, whipping cream, salt, and whiskey. Simmer until thickened, whisking often, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in tangerine rind.  Serve warm on top of bread pudding.

* If baking your own challah using the ABM (or other) recipe, don't bother to braid it, just bake it up in a standard sized loaf pan.

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One of the reasons that I just had to make this particular recipe was to test drive my new spoon from Kelly Galanos’ Etsy shop, Sycamore Hill, The Home of The ORIGINAL Hand Stamped Vintage Coffee & Espresso Spoons™.  Is this adorable, or what?  Click on over and check out her shop and tell her that I sent you.  And stay tuned.  I am crushing on that “Cereal Killer” spoon, so I’m going to have to come up with a killer recipe for cereal (okay, so it may be a challenge, I’m up to it), so that I can buy that spoon!

 This post is linked to:

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