I’ve got my Mardi Gras wreath hanging proudly on the front door. It was my first attempt at making a mesh wreath, and finally used up a few strands of those beads we’ve been moving all over the country with us. True, there is not much celebrating going on around here in honor of Fat Tuesday. In fact parade season is just like any other day here. Schools are in session, no roads blocked off along parade routes, no King Cakes…….oh, those were good times.
DIY Idea for Mardi Gras
Mesh Wreath
So I am using Mardi Gras as an excuse to make this New Orleans style bread pudding! It’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s a mash up of a couple different recipes, primarily Emeril Lagasse’s with just a teeny bit of tweaking. I make a different delicious buttery whiskey sauce for mine, hint you may want to make an extra batch, as this is one time where more is better! Optional of course, in the event that this is not quite decadent enough, I always whip up some real cream topping. Enjoy with a steaming cup of Café Du Monde and you will think you are right there dining in the French Quarter! Hope you enjoy. And please share your thoughts……..
New Orleans Bread Pudding Recipe
- 12-14 cups cubed day old bread--I use Italian
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups whole milk
- 6 eggs
- 1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 4½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup Irish whiskey
- Whiskey sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1¼ cup whipping cream
- In a medium bowl combine the raisins and whiskey; let soak 1 hour
- Place the cubed bread in a large bowl.
- Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk to mix
- Pour the cream mixture over the bread and stir to combine. This is where you will determine how moist you want your pudding to be. The bread will soak up all the creamy goodness
- Drain the raisins, reserving the whiskey (it will be used for your whiskey sauce topping) add the raisins to the bread mixture, folding in gently
- Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 9 X 13 inch casserole dish with the butter
- Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50-60 minutes.
- Serve warm with whiskey sauce
- For the whiskey sauce, in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in sugar, salt, cream and 3 Tablespoons of the reserved whiskey.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat
- Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently
New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Buttery Whiskey Sauce and cafe au lait
Hi there. I’m Marci. Welcome to the Sea Gypsy Cottage, I am glad you are here. Everyone has a story to tell, and I can’t wait to share with you our renovation story. The good, the bad and the ugly. 
