New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Raisin-studded bread pudding and buttery, bourbon-spiked sauce combine in this time-honored dessert.

Pudding:
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 1/2 cups (1/2 inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces)
Cooking spray

Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup bourbon

1. To prepare pudding, combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mixture in a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid.

2. Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture. Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5. To prepare sauce, combine 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon. Serve each bread pudding piece warm with about 1 tablespoon sauce. Yield: 9 servings.

Calories: 309 (24% from fat); Fat 8.2 g (sat 4.3g, mono 2.7g, poly 0.6g); Protein 5.6g; Carb 47.6g; Fiber 1g; Chol 87mg; Iron 1.1mg; Sodium 272mg; Calc 74mg

"Warm Desserts for Cold Nights"
Article by Jean Patterson
Copyright 2002 by Cooking Light.
Originally published in Cooking Light, November 2002.