Whiskey Caramel Bread Pudding

“An rud nach leigheasann im ná uisce beatha níl aon leigheas air.”

Ingredients:

bread**

butter, 3 tablespoons

raisins, 1/2 cup (optional)

eggs, 4 (beaten)

milk, 2 cups

cane sugar, 3/4 cup

cinnamon, 1 1/2tsp

vanilla, 1 tsp

for sauce:

butter, one stick

whiskey, to taste (2 ounces is a good average)

cane sugar, 1 cup

**This is a difficult thing to assign a precise amount to as there are some variables. It will depend on what type of bread you use, how small your pieces are, etc. The main idea is to simply fill a 9×13 casserole dish, by ripping bread into bite sized pieces. Older (more dry) bread is ideal for this but fresh will work!

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into pieces, fill casserole dish. Melt butter in small saucepan and pour over the bread (evenly distributed). If using raisins, sprinkle over bread. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed and frothy. Slowly pour wet mix over the bread, pushing it down with a fork as you go. Allow to sit for five minutes before baking. Bake for 50 minutes until it’s golden brown and springs back.

For the sauce, melt a stick of butter in small saucepan, add sugar and stir on low/medium heat until dissolved. Add a pour of whiskey and allow to cook down, while regularly stirring. The sauce should be the consistency of loose caramel. Pour it over bread pudding and serve warm.