Whiskey Bread Pudding

Every year I feel like the holidays come and go in the blink of an eye.  Before you know it, Christmas is over, New Year's Eve is upon us, and everyone jumps on their resolutions for the new year.  One of my resolutions is to make my mom's Whiskey Bread Pudding.

For the past few years the Whiskey Bread Pudding has been a Christmas Eve dessert staple in our household, and this year certainly did not disappoint!  While bread pudding may not seem like the most exciting or exotic of desserts, it is certainly quite delicious.  So delicious in fact that there were hardly any leftovers for the next day.

So friends, before those resolutions kick in and we all start our detox cleanses of 2011, I give you Whiskey Bread Pudding.

Whiskey Bread Pudding (adapted from this recipe here)

Bread Pudding Ingredients:
12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old French bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 cups 2% milk
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins or currants
Whiskey Sauce for topping (see below)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Combine the milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Ooey, gooey, bread deliciousness

Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.  Remove from oven and let bread pudding set an additional 20-30 minutes to allow the bread to fully absorb the mixture.  Drizzle with Whiskey Sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

Whiskey Sauce:

2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
3/4 cup whiskey (Seagram's goes nicely with this)

In a 1-quart saucepan set over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, and sugar. Place the tapioca starch and 1/4 cup of the whiskey in a small mixing bowl and whisk together.

Cream sauce in action

Directions:

Pour the whisky mixture into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  The sauce should be thick, not watery.

Remove the sauce from the heat, add the salt, and the remaining 1/2 cup of whiskey.  Drizzle over bread pudding and serve warm.

Fall Harvest Crumble

It's no secret that I love oatmeal - in fact, I find myself partaking in some sort of oatmeal combination nearly every morning.  But aside from being a delicious and filling breakfast, oats are great for other sorts of things, like fruit crumbles.

I came home one night after work to the smells of fresh fruit and brown sugar wafting through the apartment.  Turns out that the boyfriend had been hard at work preparing a Fruit Crumble with a delicious brown sugar and oats topping.  Now not to be biased, but this crumble was pretty epic.  He didn't have a specific name or recipe for it, so we are just rolling with Fall Harvest Crumble. ;)

Fall Harvest Crumble

Ingredients:

4 baking apples (Jonathans or Jonagolds if you have them)
1 pear
2 cups blueberries (raspberries would work well also)
1/2 cup water
1 cup oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 cup white whole wheat flour (regular flour also works)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.  Grease or butter a 9x5 loaf pan.

2. Slice apples and pear into small pieces and put into a small sauce pan.  Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Once fruit begins boiling, add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and honey.

3. Reduce heat so the fruit is just simmering.  Continue to cook until apples become nice and tender.  The apples should be soft, but not super mushy. 

4.  Add berries into the saucepan and continue to mix together for another couple of minutes.  Once berries are blended in, remove saucepan from heat.

5. Melt your 1/2 stick butter and pour into a mixing bowl.  Add the oats, sugar, and white whole wheat flour.  Mix with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick and crumbly.

6. Pour fruit mixture into 9x5 loaf pan. 

6.  Pour oat mixture on top of fruit in pan - spread evenly throughout the top.

7. Bake in oven at 400F for 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for another 5-10 minutes.




The end result.  Please disregard my dingy loaf pan.


When cooled, scoop out of pan and enjoy with your favorite ice cream or whipped topping!

Harvest Crumble and tea.  The perfect dessert.