New Orleans Bread Pudding With Lemon Sauce

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped and roasted
• 5 cups bread cubes, very stale french bread
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 in the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on high until extremely frothy, about 3 minutes (or for about 6 minutes with a metal whisk).
• 2 add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract and butter and beat on high speed until well blended.
• 3 beat in the milk. stir in the raisins and pecans.
• 4 put the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
• 5 pour the egg mixture over the cubes and toss until the bread is soaked.
• 6 let sit about 45 minutes, patting the bread down into the liquid occasionally.
• 7 put in a 350* oven. immediately lower the heat to 300* and bake 40 minutes. increase oven temperature to 425* and bake 15-20 minutes more, or until pudding is well browned and puffy.
• 8 to serve, put 1 1/2 tbs lemon sauce in each dessert dish, then spoon in 1/2 cup bread pudding. top with 1/4 cup whipped cream.
• 9 lemon sauce (makes about 3/4 cup).
• 10 squeeze the juice from the lemon halves into a 1 qt saucepan; add the lemon rinds, water and sugar; bring to a boil.
• 11 stir in the dissolved cornstarch and vanilla.
• 12 cook 1 minute over high heat, stirring constantly.
• 13 strain, squeezing the sauce from the lemon rind.