KENTUCKY BREAD PUDDING WITH BOURBON SAUCE

My grandmother, Annie Louise Middleton, was born and raised in Kentucky. This is the most delicious recipe for bread pudding. You can leave out the Bourbon, if you prefer.

Lee's Kitchen Tips:

You can substitute the Bourbon Crème Anglaise for vanilla ice cream drizzled with a store-bought caramel sauce.

1 loaf country or brioche bread, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
Nonstick cooking spray

Pudding
4 large eggs

2 cups haf-and-half   

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup dried cranberries 
4 T unsalted butter, melted

1 t pure vanilla extract   
1 t ground cinnamon  

1 t ground nutmeg
1 t ground ginger     

¼ t sea salt    

¼ cup granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top              

                                                          

Bourbon Crème Anglaise
1 cup half-&-half 
2 large egg, yolks well beaten 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 t pure vanilla extract
¼ cup Kentucky bourbon                                             

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, granulated sugar, brown sugar, dried cranberries, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, 

and salt.  Mix until mixture is smooth.

Add the bread cubes to the pudding mixture, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the bread-pudding mixture from the refrigerator and pour the mixture into a sprayed 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle with the ¼ cup sugar.

Bake pudding for about 45 to 50 minutes until top is lightly browned.

Bourbon Sauce
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the half-&-half.  Heat until just below boiling. 

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. 

Add ½ cup of the hot half-&-half mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to temper the eggs. 

Pour the tempered egg mixture into the pan with the rest of the half-&-half mixture. 

Over low heat, stir with a wooden spoon and let mixture thicken to coat the back of the spoon. Do not boil. 

Stir in the vanilla and bourbon and keep warm.

When ready to serve the bread pudding, pour the Crème Anglaise through a fine mesh strainer into a gravy boat and pour over the servings of puddings.

Serves 4 to 6