Toasted Pecan Bread Pudding Bourbon Sauce Recipes

BOURBON BREAD PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, and put the cubed brioche in it. Sprinkle with the pecans.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, milk, eggs, butter, brown sugar, bourbon, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Pour the custard mixture over the bread in the baking dish, giving the bread a stir to make sure it's coated. Let the pudding sit for 1 hour, so the bread can fully absorb the milk.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once it is ready, put the dish in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until puffy and set. Remove, and let stand 10 minutes before serving. This is absolutely lovely when served with some fresh whipped cream.

CARAMEL PECAN BOURBON SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat over to 325 degrees.
• Spread pecans on a baking sheet and bake until lightly browned. This takes approximately 5-8 minutes. Watch them carefully so they don't burn. Set aside toasted pecans.
• In a large heavy sauce pan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking. Stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Cook until mixture is reduced to 3 cups. This takes about 10-15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Stir in bourbon, vanilla and pecans. Let cool.
• NOTES: If made in advance, cover and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. To reheat in microwave use 30% power for a minute or two. For the power notation--adjust to your microwave. The goal is to bring this to a room temperature or slightly warm temperature.

NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
• MAKE THE PUDDING: In a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the pecan mixture and blend well. Stir in the milk and raisins.
• Place the bread cubes in the prepared pan. Pour the egg mixture over them and toss gently until the bread is soaked. Let the pudding sit until the bread has absorbed nearly all the liquid, about 35 minutes. Stir the mixture once or twice to moisten the bread evenly.
• Meanwhile, MAKE THE TOPPING: In a small bowl, combine the pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Bake the pudding for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the pecan topping over the pudding and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until the pudding is set and the topping is browned.
• Meanwhile, MAKE THE BOURBON SAUCE: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cornstarch, and cook, stirring, until dissolved. Whisk in the cream and vanilla, and continue cooking, stirring, until sauce thickens slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the bourbon and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly.
• To serve, spoon the pudding out on plates, then ladle a bit of the bourbon sauce over each serving.
• NOTE: To toast the pecans, place them on an ungreased cookie sheet in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, or until golden.