Bread Pudding

The week after Christmas some of our very best friends were in town and Nick and I got to be "real grown-ups" and meet them for dinner at a "real restraunt" read: real napkins, real silverware, and get this... no kids menu. It was devine I tell you.

We went to Harvest in St. Louis and I give it 2 thumbs up for sure. The ambiance was superb, the staff friendly, the menu was well put together... but none of it compared to the deliciousness that was the bread pudding... Apparently people come from miles around to partake of this delciousness... and now I see why.

Since then I have been searching the internet for a bread pudding recipe... but none seemed like they would fit the bill. But then, a friend mentioned that a friend of theirs had the REAL Harvest recipe! I had never thought to look for their actual recipe! So I "Googled" it and within minutes had the recipe in hand and was out the door at the store getting the ingredients (honestly, this is not much of an exaggeration at all.)

I couldn't find all of the exact ingredients and cheated a little on a few things. So, I will share my adapted version. But, feel free to make theirs! It is probably even better... although I got no complaints about this one.



Bread Pudding

Serves 12

Ingredients:

2 loves of brioche (I searched high and low and had to settle for European hearth bread which is probably nothing like brioche but all I could find)

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

powdered sugar for garnish

For the sauce:

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

1 cup buttermilk

2 sticks butter

1/2 C. bourbon

Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy cream

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees f
2. Remove the crust from bread and cut loaves into 1 inch pieces. Place cubes in a large mixing bowl
3. In a saucepot combine milk, cream, 3/4 C. sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk togehter the eggs and egg yolks. Slowly pour half the hot milk mixture into the eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add remaining milk and whisk together.
5. Let egg mixture cool slightly and then pour over cubed bread. Toss the igredients together lightly and place in a greased 9x12 baking dish. Bake approximately 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Make the sauce by combing all sauce igredients, except bourbon, in a sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from head and add bourbon, set aside.
7. Make the whipped cream by combining heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar by mixing with a mixer. Whip until stiff.
8. Serve bread pudding warm. Cut into desired size pieces, top with sauce and a dallop of whipped cream. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Enjoy! Your mouth will thank you. Your scale might not.