[title subtitle=”recipes and images: courtesy Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays”][/title]
I adapted this sinfully scrumptious bread pudding from a Tom Perini recipe my mother-in-law shared with me years ago. It’s simple and divine and has ruined me forever on all other bread puddings in the universe. The kids can eat the bread pudding on its own, as it’s perfectly wonderful…but since you’ve been so good all year long, you get to drizzle yours with a naughty, boozy rum sauce! This is truly delicious stuff.
Boozy Bread Pudding
Makes 12 servings
- 1 loaf crusty Italian bread or other artisanal loaf
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted, plus more for the pan
- ½ cup pecans, chopped fine
Boozy Sauce
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
- ¼ cup dark rum
Preheat oven to 325°. Cut bread into 1-inch slices, cut slices into 1-inch strips and cut strips into cubes. In all, you should have 8 to 10 cups of bread cubes. For the custard mixture, whisk together eggs, milk, and half-and-half, then add vanilla and sugar. Stir to combine. Melt butter in microwave and whisk into the mixture. Generously butter a baking dish. Add all bread cubes to the pan. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes. Sprinkle pecans over the top. Bake for 1 hour. While bread pudding is baking, make boozy sauce. Combine butter, sugar, cream, and rum in medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, set aside. To serve, pour the rum sauce into a small pitcher or gravy boat. Drizzle a little bit over the bread pudding right when it comes out of the oven. (Drizzle over individual portions, too!)
Variations
- Sprinkle raisins on top of the bread pudding with the pecans before baking.
- Use whiskey or brandy instead of dark rum.
