A couple of weeks ago, I decided to host an impromptu dinner party for a couple of friends. The day before, while I was picking up the groceries for the event, I sent my guests a text message and asked them which dessert they would like me to prepare. I think it was a conspiracy, because every single one of them responded with "bread pudding!"
I had never made this dish before, and I didn't really have access to a computer right there in the produce aisle. So I called my good friend Tisha, and asked her for help. She Googled a recipe for me, and read off all the ingredients I would need. I thanked her, asked her to forward me the recipe, and hung up the phone.
When I got home, the link wouldn't open. So now I had all of these ingredients, and a vague idea of how to put them together, but no recipe to follow. I did a few web searches, but wasn't ever able to locate anything resembling the one Tisha read to me. So I printed out a couple different ones, sort of melged them together into a single recipe, and crossed my fingers.
And holy crap, it was awesome.
TRAV'S BREAD PUDDING IN WHISKEY SAUCE
Pudding:
1 loaf of day-old French bread
4 eggs, beaten
1 C sugar
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 t ground cinnamon
4 T butter, melted
1 C milk
1 C table cream
1/4 raisins
1/4 C slivered almonds
Sauce:
1 C milk
1 C granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1 T butter, melted
1 t cornstarch
1/4 C whiskey
Garnish:
Powdered sugar
Ground cinnamon
Slice the loaf of bread. Remove and discard the crusts, and cut the white portion of the bread loaf into 1" cubes. Layer the bread cubes evenly in a 2-qt. deep-dish casserole (the kind with a glass lid.) Sprinkle the almonds and raisins over the bread crumbs, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, blend together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter, milk, and cream until smooth. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 3 hours.)
Remove the pudding from the refrigerator, and allow it to return to room temperature (about 30 minutes.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Leaving the dish covered tightly, bake the pudding for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid, and bake uncovered for 10-15 more minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
While the pudding is cooling, make the sauce: combine the milk, butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until almost boiling. Combine the whiskey and cornstarch, and whisk into the hot mixture. Return to a boil and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and slightly thickened.
To serve: spoon a small amount of the whiskey sauce into the bottom of a dessert bowl. Spoon out the desired portion of pudding onto the sauce, then drizzle with extra sauce. Dust with powdered sugar and cinnamon, and serve immediately.
VARIATIONS:
Don't like raisins? I bet that chopped dates, figs, or dried apples would be awesome instead. Or just skip the fruit.
Got no almonds? You can probably use walnuts or pecans. Or you can skip them altogether; it's not that big of a deal.
Hate to waste good whiskey? Use bourbon, rum, or brandy instead. Or use a quarter-cup of water and some artificial rum flavoring, if you must. To each his own.
I suppose that if you were on some sort of diet, you could make this recipe with low fat milk instead of cream, cholesterol-free Egg Beaters instead of real eggs, and margarine instead of butter. But I can't vouch for how it is going to taste. If you are on a diet, you are probably better off just drinking the whiskey for dessert...hey, it's low-calorie and cholesterol-free.
TIPS:
Save those French bread crusts. Dry them out in the oven (at its lowest temperature setting) for about 30 minutes, then grind them to dust in a food processor. Store them in an airtight container in the freezer, and use them in your next recipe that calls for bread crumbs.
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