Tales from the Kitchen: Brioche Bread Pudding

Bread pudding was created by bakers who wanted to use up their old bread. When I was younger, my favorite dessert was bread pudding. I often went to the boulangerie/patisserie (bakery) to buy it. When I started my second restaurant, the Bistro Parisien in Almaden, my bread pudding with bourbon sauce was a real favorite with my customers. It’s a great dessert for Christmas.

Ingredients (for 6 people)

• 1 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs (+5 yolks)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• 1 1/2 lbs of brioche bread (cubed into 1 to 2in pieces)

• 1 3/4 whole milk

• 1/2 cup of raisins

• 1/2 cup bourbon or rum

• 1/2 pint of vanilla ice cream

• 1/4 cup of butter

Preparation:
Instruction for making the bread pudding:

1) Coat individual ramekins with soft butter.

2) Mix together the milk, cream, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, raisins and chocolate chips.

3) Mix well. Then add the cubed brioche.

4) Mix with a spatula and dish out into the ramekins.

5) Cook in the oven at 250 degrees for 45 minutes in a bain marie.
(This means putting the ramekins in a 2 inch deep pan with 1 inch of water.)

Instruction for making the sauce:

Let the vanilla ice cream melt slowly and add the bourbon or rum.

Serve Warm

Bon Appetit,
Alain Guichard