NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING

NEW ORLEANS BREAD PUDDING image

Number Of Ingredients 29

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3 large eggs
1-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/2 teasp. vanilla extract
1-1/4 teasp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, dry roasted (To roast, spread on cookie sheet in 350¢X oven until slightly browned 3 - 4 minutes.)
1-1/4 cup raisins
2 cups milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 teasp. ground cinnamon
5 cups very stale French bread cubes, with crusts on.
Lemon Sauce
(about 3/4 cup)
Ingredients:
1 lemon, halved
2 teasp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water.
1/2 cup water
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
Squeeze 2 tablespoons juice from lemon into a 1 quart saucepan; add the rinds, water and sugar. Bring to a boil. Stir in dissolved cornstarch and vanilla. Stirring constantly, cook 1 minute over medium-high heat. Strain and serve warm.
Chantilly Cream
(about 2 cups)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teasp. Grand Marnier
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 teasp. brandy
2 tablsp. dairy sour cream
Chill bowl and beaters 'til very cold. Combine cream, brandy, Grand Marnier and vanilla and beat on medium 45 seconds. Add sugar and sour cream and beat on medium just until soft peaks from; about 3 minutes. Do Not Overbeat.

Steps:

Slice a day-old French Baguette -style bread loaf lengthwise down the middle. Slice these two long halves lengthwise down the middle again, so that you have four strips of the loaf and each has crust on one side. Cut the strips into 1/2" - 1" cubes; each should have a crust side. Put the cubes in a bread basket covered loosely with a towel, for the next 24 - 36 hours. Toss cubes a few times during that interval so they become uniformly crunchy. Beat eggs in a large bowl on high speed until they're extremely frothy and the bubbles are the size of pin heads; about 3 minutes. Add sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and melted butter. Beat on high until well blended. Beat in the milk. Stir in the raisins and roasted pecans. Place bread cubes in a greased loaf pan. Pour the egg/spices mixture over cubes. Toss until all are soaked. Let sit until you see only a narrow bead of liquid at pan edges, about 1 hour; patting the bread down into the liquid occasionally. Preheat oven to 350¢X . Place loaf pan in oven and IMMEDIATELY LOWER TEMPERATURE to 300¢X . Bake 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425¢X . Bake until pudding is well browned and puffy, about 15 - 20 minutes more. (Keep a watchful eye on it during this stage so the top doesn't char.) To serve, put (1 1/2 tablespoons of) warm Lemon Sauce in each dessert dish, spoon-in (1/2 cup) hot bread pudding and top with (1/4 cup) Chantilly Cream!