How To Make New Orleans Bread Pudding

Have you ever felt sad because a whole loaf of good French bread went stale before you could use it? Guess what… it still has a purpose! In a traditional Creole or Cajun kitchen the cook rarely lets any food go to waste. These creatively minded artists will create something new and delicious from what another may have seen as trash.

While this dish originates from 13^th Century England, the Southern knack for frugality in conjunction with a taste for luxurious comfort food has made Bread Pudding a staple dessert in the Big Easy. This simple dish is made from leftover pieces of day old bread - or even doughnuts – bathed in a silky mixture of milk, eggs, sugar. Almost every New Orleans establishment has their own version, prompting HBO’s Treme writer Lolis Eric Elie to call it “the gumbo of New Orleans desserts.”

Aboard the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen we serve Bread Pudding as a sweet ending to our delicious Creole lunch or dinner buffet. Take a little bit of New Orleans home with you to share with your friends and loved ones by serving them this delicious White Chocolate Bread Pudding.

• 12 to 14 cups of day-old Leidenheimer French Bread (cubed)
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 ½ cups heavy cream
• 2 ½ cups whole milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 7 ounces of white chocolate
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar, for garnish

WHISKEY SAUCE:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup granulated white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¾ cup bourbon or other whiskey
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Place the bread in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter and pour over the bread cubes. Use a rubber spatula to toss the bread and evenly distribute the butter.
• Whisk together eggs in a large bowl until a lemon color. Add sugar, milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Melt 7 ounces of white chocolate in a saucepan and combine with cream mixture. Pour mixture over the bread, and stir to combine evenly. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with a tablespoon of butter and transfer the bread mixture and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, typically about 50 to 60 minutes.
• Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.

July 26, 2017 | Author:  Rachel Tumminello