Bread Pudding with Bourbon Butter Sauce

Ask 10 people if they like bread pudding and it I bet you will get a 50/50 split in the answers. To me it seems people either like it or don't like it, I have not really come across those that fall into the yeah it's OK category. I am not really sure as to why this is the case as there is nothing better than some freshly homemade bread pudding. Now I myself used to fall into the group that totally despised bread pudding for no other reason than I just didn't like the name or the concept of it. Other than the name my aversion to bread pudding also came from my dislike of raisins, but classic bread pudding always contains them so I never wanted any. Raisins are now my friend and I love them, if you are like I was and just can't stand them you can always try something else instead. A good crisp apple is a good substitute or any other kind of dried fruit that will not overpower the other flavors. As is usually the case when we get older our tastes and food interests change and I now love to eat this simple desert. Homemade this desert is far superior to anything you can get out and that all comes down to one little detail, crunch! Now you could technically achieve this at a restaurant but the establishment would need to make it to order everytime for every guest that orders it, and lets face the truth, most places just simply are not going to do that. So what you do get is something that was either made that morning or even possibly the day before and if you are really unlucky 2-3 days ago. Now it's not to say that it doesn't and can't actually taste good, it is just not as good as it should and can be. Now the bourbon butter sauce I top this with is pure simplicity and so good that I dare say you could put it on a shoe and it would taste good. And when you top all that off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream it is all over, food coma here I come. I hope you enjoy this desert as much as I do and if you are one that falls into the "I don't like bread pudding" croud I challenge you try this out as I am sure you will be converted.

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

2 Large Eggs, beaten

3/4 C Milk (I used whole)

3/4 C Heavy Cream

1/2 C Light Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. Allspice

Couple Pinches of Salt

1 Tbsp. Vanilla Extract

6 C Day Old Bread, cubed 

1/3 C Raisins

Bourbon Butter Sauce

4 Tbsp. Butter, softened

1/2 C Sugar

1 Egg, beaten

2 Tbsp. Bourbon, or Whiskey

Whipped Cream

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1/2 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar (unsweetened is also good)

Method

Bourbon Butter Sauce

1.In a glass bowl cream the butter and sugar together until well combined then add fold in the beaten egg

2. Place bowl over sauce pan with gently boiling water and stir constantly until thickened

3. Remove bowl from heat and stir in your bourbon or whiskey

4. You can chill it in the fridge until you are ready to use it but warm it in the microwave prior to spooing over the bread pudding

Bread Pudding

1. Preheat oven to 350 degress F and butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 inch baking dish, I prefer glass for bread pudding

2. In a large bowl combine your first 9 ingredients and mix well

3. Add your cubed bread and the raisins to the wet mixture and stir to coat the bread and raisins evenly, let stand for about 5 minutes so th bread can soak up the goodness

4. Pour entire contents of the bowl into your baking disk and spread out evenly

5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until te custard has set and the bread has a nice golden crust on top

6. Remove from oven and prepare the whipped cream while the bread pudding slightly cools

7. Slice drizzle with the warmed bourbon sauce and top with the whipped cream and enjoy!

Whipped Cream

**If you have never made homemade whipped cream before it is super easy but there is one thing you must do. If you are using a stand mixer, like I do, make sure both the bowl and whipping attachment are thoroughly chilled in the freezer prior to whipping the cream**

1. Pour your cream into the chilled mixing bowl and beat with the whipping attachment for about 2 minutes or until soft peaks start to form

2. Stop mixer and add in your powered sugar if using and continue to whip cream on medium high until stiff peaks form and cream hold its shape

3. Serve immediately with the bread pudding