Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce

New Orleans style Mardi Gras Dessert with Brandy or Bourbon Sauce

© Jackie Milligan

Feb 21, 2009

Bread pudding is a dense sweet egg custard baked with bread and spices. Typically it is served warm with either a lemon sauce or a bourbon or brandy sauce. It makes a great offering on a buffet table or for Sunday brunch and it also works well for a pot luck.

There are many versions of recipes for bread pudding; the main ingredients being eggs, milk and bread. It is always best to use a dense loaf of bakery bread if possible but you can get good results using day old sandwich bread. (Just leave a few slices out on a plate overnight).

Two things you should always remember when making a bread pudding, always soak your bread in the egg mixture before adding the rest of the ingredients (this will insure that you will get a creamy custard texture) and bake your custard as soon as the bread has soaked up the liquids and the final ingredients have been added or the bread will turn mushy.

Bread Pudding:

Ingredients:

• 4 c diced bread
• 2 c milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp apple pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg)
• 1/2 c chopped pitted dates
• 6 tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350
2. In a bowl large enough to hold bread and liquid, beat eggs with a fork until lemon yellow in color
3. Whisk in milk, vanilla and almond extract
4. Soak bread in egg and milk mixture until the bread has absorbed most of the liquid, about 5 to 10 min
5. Mix sugar, salt spices and chopped dates in a separate bowl
6. When bread has soaked up the liquid, add dry ingredients and mix well
7. Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the bread mixture 2 1/2 qt pan or 8x8 will work
8. Pour bread mixture into pan and dot top with pieces of butter.
9. Bake for 30 min or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
10. Remove from oven and allow to cool or serve immediately

Lemon Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 1 c white sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 1/2 c water
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 1/2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. Blend sugar, cornstarch and water in a sauce pan
2. Bring to a boil over med-high heat
3. Cook 2 - 3 min until mixture is thickened
4. Remove from heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice and butter
5. Serve warm over bread pudding

Brandy Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c brandy
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 c half and half

Preparation:

1. Cream together butter and white sugar
2. Add brown sugar and mix thoroughly
3. Stir in brandy and vanilla
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks till light lemon yellow in color
5. Add egg yolks to sugar mixture
6. Whisk cornstarch and half and half together in a separate bowl
7. Pour half and half into sauce mixture
8. Cook in the top of a double boiler or in a sauce pan seated in a water bath over med to med-high heat until mixture thickens and makes a light coating on a spoon when dipped
9. Remove from heat immediately
10. Serve warm with bread pudding

The recipe above for brandy sauce is also good served over berries, pound cake or ice cream. When using as a dessert sauce, brandy sauce is equally good served hot or cold.

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding

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