From Paulette Vickery's Recipe Collection

BOOK: BIG BUCKS BREAD PUDDING

breads, desserts

1 single bread pudding, containing:
5 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup dimarara sugar
2 each eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 each slices torn white bread,
1/3 cup raisins
1 single hard sauce
5 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
12 each fresh mint sprigs

To make bread pudding, butter a 12 cup nonstick muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. (Dimmarara sugar is sometimes sold as raw sugar, or Hawaiian washed sugar. If this is not available, white granulated sugar may be used.) Beat in the eggs, then beat in the milk and cream. Stir in the nutmeg and vanilla. Thoroughly stir in the bread pieces. )Use 8 slices, or 9 1/2 ounces torn bread pieces.) The mixture will look like mush. Stir in the raisins. Using a 1/3 cup measure, ladle out a full scoop of batter into each muffin cup. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and, using a nonstick coated spoon, quickly stir each cup of half risen batter to break up the crust on the sides. Return to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the puddings are set and browned. Quickly unmold the puddings on a wire rack and set upright like cup cakes to cool slightly. The puddings can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. Top each pudding with a scoop of hard sauce. Using a tooth pick insert the stem of a mint sprig into the top of each scoop of hard sauce if desired. To make hard sauce, beat together the butter and whipping cream until thoroughly combined. Add the confectioners sugar slowly and beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in the rum extract. If the mixture is to stiff add a little more cream. To serve with bread puddings, chill the mixture until it is easily scooped out. Using a small ice cream scoop, measure out even scoops of the chilled sauce onto a plate covered with waxed paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the scoops until ready to serve. Any left over hard sauce can be thined with cream and used to frost cookies or cake. (From PRIME CUT, a culinary murder mystery, by Dianne Mott Davidson.)

Yield: 12 servings






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