GreensCast  

Louisiana Bread Pudding was developed by my anonymous cousin. More of her recipes can be found in Flavored with Love, available atAmazon.com and  http://www.fwlcookbook.com.  Please refer to the blog on January 21, 2008.

Louisiana Bread Pudding

½ cup raisins

6 tablespoons bourbon

Non-stick spray

1 loaf (16 ounces) French bread

1 stick unsalted butter (not margarine)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

3 cups low-fat milk

1 cup fat free Half & Half®

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Shake of nutmeg

1½ cups pecan halves

Soak the raisins in the whiskey an hour and drain. Spray a 9 X 13" glass cooking pan with non-stick spray. Cube the French bread and place a layer of it in the pan. Melt the butter and drizzle half of it over the bread cubes.

In the blender beat the Half & Half®, eggs, sugar, and milk together. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour half the liquid over bread cubes. Evenly spread the raisins over the bread cubes. Add the remaining bread cubes in a layer and drizzle them with the remaining butter. Sprinkle a hint of nutmeg evenly over the breadcrumbs. Add the remaining liquid and mash the bread down.

Wait 30 minutes for the bread to absorb the liquid; cook it on the top rack of the oven for 15 minutes. Arrange the pecan halves over the top of the pudding and continue to cook until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve warm with warm sauce.

Caramel-Rum Sauce

2½ cups packed light brown sugar

1 stick butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup fat free Half & Half®

¼ cup gold rum

Combine the sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a heavy pan and simmer on very low heat to dissolve the sugar. Add the rum and continue to cook on very low heat with constant stirring until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a blender and set the blender on beat. Slowly add the Half & Half®. Continue to beat in the blender until the sauce is thoroughly mixed. Warm the sauce; serve warm over the bread pudding.

Notes

1. The sauce may be prepared in advance and heated carefully before serving.

2. Immediately before serving, you may top the pudding with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.