New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce

Dessert

Serves 10

Recipe courtesy of Louisiana Kitchen & Culture

Ingredients:

For the Pudding

1 large loaf of French bread cut into cubes 6 cups in all
2½ cups whole milk
4 large eggs
10 ounces white sugar (1¼ cups)
1½ teaspoon cinnamon,
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter melted (4 ounces)
1 cup (optional) pecans, walnuts, fruit cocktail, raisins, chocolate chips, white chocolate, dried fruit, bananas etc, or a mixture.

For the Hard Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 ounce dark rum

New Orleans Bread Pudding with Hard Sauce

Click image to enlarge

Method:

For the Pudding

Pour milk over bread cubes and let soak thoroughly. Melt butter and cool slightly. Mix eggs, sugar, spices and optionals; pour over bread/milk mixture and squish with your hands. Add melted butter and mix again. Place into buttered 2-qt. Baking dish and bake 1 hour at 350˚F or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
Hint: melt the butter in the baking dish to eliminate a step.
Let cool slightly and serve hard sauce.

For the Hard Sauce

To a medium saucepan over medium heat add butter, sugar, and nutmeg. Cook until butter is melted. Blend in flour and cook until thoroughly mixed. Slowly wisk in cream, vanilla and rum. Cook until sauce is just about to boil but does not rise up.
Serve over Bread Pudding.