• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

New Orleans Bread Pudding

From Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen (Karl's favorite birthday cake)

Beat the eggs on high speed in a large bowl until extremely frothy and thick (3-6 minutes). Add sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter. Beat on high until well blended. Beat in the milk. If you want to use them, stir in the raisins and/or pecans. (We've tried this recipe with just pecans, and it's not as good. I think you have to actually live near New Orleans to find pecans that make it taste better rather than worse. We don't like raisins in our pudding.)

Put the bread in a greased casserole dish and pour the liquid over it. Stir until the bread is soaked and let sit about 45 minutes (until there's only a narrow line of liquid around the edge of the dish), patting it down into the liquid occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the casserole dish in the oven and immediately lower the heat to 300°F. Bake 40 minutes, then increase the heat to 425°F and bake until brown and puffed up (roughly 15-20 more minutes).

Serve ¹/₂ cup pudding over 1¹/₂ Tb warm Lemon Sauce II and top with at least ¹/₄ cup Chantilly Cream. ( ¹/₄ cup of cream works out so that you have exactly the right amount and none left over, but it isn't quite enough for an optimal bread pudding serving.