Black and White Bread Pudding

I first want to thank all my readers for making these first few months of blogging great!! It is so much fun and I enjoy it so much!! 

This is the first blog of 2014 and it will be the last one for a week or so since we are heading out to see our Tigers play!!! As mentioned in a previous blog, I was on the search for the perfect NYE dessert and based on my friends reactions, this one was a hit! 

If you have ever eaten a meal with me and dessert has been offered, the first thing I ask is "Do you have Bread pudding!?" I love bread pudding, I don't know why but it is my favorite thing!! My favorite is the bread pudding served at Warehouse Bistro and Cafe 123! I love it so much that 4 years ago I went on a search for the perfect recipe and 4 years later it is still delicious!!!

First you need to cube one 12 oz loaf of French bread and 4 slices of loaf bread. I add the loaf bread because the texture of it when it absorbs the custard is magical!!

Then place all the bread, French and loaf, on a sheet pan and toast @ 250 degrees for ten minutes, you want it to dry out but not brown it.

Once toasted remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Then you are going to butter a 9 by 13 dish and place all the bread snugly in the dish.

Then sprinkle the top of the bread with an 11.5 oz bag of chocolate chunks.

Set this aside and now it's time to make the custard! You are going to start with 3 cups of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream.

Then add 3/4 a cup of sugar.

Gently stir this mixture and then transfer it to a saucepan and heat on medium high heat for about 8 minutes or until bubbles start to appear but you do not what this mixture to boil! As soon as the bubbles start to appear remove from heat and place on your counter.

Then stir in 1 cup of white chocolate chips.

In a separated measuring cup crack four eggs.

Whisk gently.

Then you need to temper the eggs by slowly adding some of the hot chocolate mixture to the eggs. I add about a cup slowly.

Then pour the tempered egg mixture into the hot chocolate mixture.

Stir until combined and then add a splash of vanilla. 

I do about 2 teaspoons! Now this is a custard and it is ready to be absorbed by that wonderful toasted bread! So pour it over the top!

Then let it at for 15 minutes while your oven preheats to 350 degrees. After the fifteen  minutes you will need to press down the bread.

Then pop it into the oven for 45 minutes! While it is baking you can make a sauce for it! This is a white chocolate bourbon sauce and is delicious. In a saucepan heat 1/4 cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons butter.

While this mixture is heating measure out 8 oz of white chocolate. Publix had a rush on white chocolate so I had two different kinds but you can use chips or the bakers bars.

Also break out this!

You will need 2 tablespoons of bourbon! Do not boil the cream mixture just heat until the butter is melted and bubbles start to show on the surface. Once this happens remove it from the heat and add the white chocolate and stir briskly until the chocolate is melted completely!

Once melted add the bourbon! Your sauce should look like this.

Since we were traveling to someone's home I poured into a little ramikan.

The bread pudding should be smelling amazing right now!! And then I went and did a sparkly smokey eye and picked out a sparkly outfit and then the timer went off and I opened the oven to an amazing bubbly dish of bread pudding. (And I know that was a long run on sentence)

And there ya go! Black and White Bread pudding with a white chocolate bourbon sauce! It was delicious, the whole night was great! Our host Caroline made a wonderful Italian meal! The best chicken spinach lasagna that has ever touched my lips!! It was a wonderful NYE! And from my home to yours I hope 2014 is great!!!

Love, The Brady's!