Barbados Bread Pudding w/ Hot Buttered Rum Sauce

Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 1 hour Medium Serves: 8-10

Description

(This is the real deal!) The head chef at the island restaurant wrote it down on a napkin for me - had to translate to U.S. measurements. (They don't measure ANYTHING down in the islands, mon.) They even call it "vanilla essence" instead of "extract."

Ingredients

~ Bread Pudding ~
1 loaf day-old white bread, or French bread (torn into bite-sized pieces)
3-4 cups whole milk (enough for bread to absorb, not too much though)
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¾ cup Baker’s sugar (C&H)
1 cup plump raisins, soaked overnight in 1/4 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
2 tbsp vanilla essence*
dash sea salt
~ Hot Buttered Rum Sauce ~
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup Baker’s sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
*vanilla extract (for those of us here in the states)

Method

Bread Pudding:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Soak the bread in milk in a large mixing bowl. Press with hands until well mixed and all the milk is absorbed. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and sea salt together. Gently stir into the bread mixture. Gently stir the rum-soaked raisins into the mixture.
Pour 3 tbsp melted butter into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter. Pour in the bread mix and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, until set. The pudding is done when the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Can also make in individual ramekins.

Hot Buttered Rum Sauce:

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar, milk, and egg yolk, whisking to blend well. (Add a little hot butter sauce to egg yolk before adding to saucepan so egg will not “cook.")

Stir constantly over low heat until mixture thickens. (Do not allow to simmer, or it may curdle.) Whisk in spiced rum to taste. Remove from heat. Whisk before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

*Serve warm atop bread pudding and/or a scoop of luscious french vanilla ice cream, if so desired.

(Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.)

**This will pair perfectly w/ my Caribbean Jerk Chicken recipe.

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