Theme Week Wrap up: Nola: Bread Pudding

To wrap up my Nola theme week, I decided to make a Louisiana Classic. Bread Pudding with a whiskey sauce. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts because it isn't overly sweet and I love the texture. It is great to make if you have some day (or two or three) old bread laying around. I just happened to have some french bread left over from our dinners last week which is where I got the idea to make bread pudding.

I used a recipe from a restaurant in Nola called Commanders Palace, the only thing I omit is the meringue. If you ever get a chance to go to Nola, try and get a reservation to Commander's Palace. The food, service and atmosphere are fantastic.

Bread Pudding

• 5 cups day old french bread dut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• freshly grated nutmeg (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 cup raisins

Whiskey sauce

• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 1 Tbsp. Water
• 3 Tbsp. Sugar
• 1/4 cup Bourbon

To make the bread pudding, first preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8" square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard.
Place the raisins in a greased pan. Top with the egg mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to room temperature.
To make the whiskey sauce, place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk corn starch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat.
Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature.