New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Raisin-studded bread pudding and buttery, bourbon-spiked sauce combine in this time-honored dessert.

Yield
9 servings
Ingredients
Pudding:
* 1/4 cup raisins
* 2 tablespoons bourbon
* 1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Dash of salt
* 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 4 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces)
* Cooking spray

Sauce:
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/4 cup bourbon


Preparation
To prepare pudding, combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mixture in a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid.

Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture. Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

To prepare sauce, combine 1/2 cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon. Serve each bread pudding piece warm with about 1 tablespoon sauce.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 309 (24% from fat)
Fat: 8.2g (sat 4.3g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 5.6g
Carbohydrate: 47.6g
Fiber: 1g
Cholesterol: 87mg
Iron: 1.1mg
Sodium: 272mg
Calcium: 74mg

source by: myrecipes.com
recipes by: Jean Patterson, Cooking Light
Randy Mayor; Katie Stoddard