New Orleans Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Custard-soaked French bread baked until golden and napped with a warm bourbon whiskey sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf (about 1 pound) day-old French bread, cut into cubes
• 4 cups whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the whiskey sauce

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Pour the custard over the bread, fold in the raisins, and let soak 15 minutes, pressing the bread down.
4. Transfer to the baking dish, drizzle with the melted butter, and bake until set and golden, about 45 to 50 minutes.
5. Make the sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until dissolved, then whisk in the egg yolk. Cook gently 2 minutes without boiling, then stir in the bourbon.
6. Serve the warm Bread Pudding drizzled with whiskey sauce.

Notes

Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans-style bread pudding, a Louisiana dessert staple.