‘Old Fashioned Creole Style New Orleans Bread Pudding’http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2011/12/old-fashioned-new-orleans-creole-bread.html ~ A signature dessert at Commander’s Palace restaurant in New Orleans this rich, meringue topped bread pudding souffle, drizzled with whiskey sauce is perfect for Easter. ♥ Please share, like or pin if you like this! ♥

Old Fashioned New Orleans Creole Bread Pudding with Meringue
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish


1 (1 pound) loaf of stale French bread, sliced and cubed (about 9 to 10 cups)
6 cups of milk, divided
6 large eggs, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened at room temperature
1-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup of black or golden raisins, optional

Meringue

1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water, divided
6 reserved egg whites
Pinch of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Whiskey Sauce {below}, optional

Slice the bread into 1 inch slices then cube into 4 to 6 cubes depending on how big a loaf it is.
Place half of the bread in a large glass bowl and pour 4 cups of milk on top, press bread down into the milk. Add remaining bread and milk and mash down, adding additional milk if needed to cover. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the cornstarch mixture for the meringue by mixing together 2 tablespoons of the water with the cornstarch; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1/2 cup of water to a boil and using a wire whisk, beat in the cornstarch mixture and cook, until thickened and clear. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish; set aside. Separate eggs, cover and refrigerate the egg whites. In a separate medium size bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and eggs together; stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Stir the butter and sugar mixture into the bread mixture and mix well; turn out into the prepared pan. Scatter the raisins on top, if using. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover, return to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes. The last 10 minutes of cooking time, prepare meringue.

Using a whisk beater, add the egg whites to a clean mixer bowl and beat until foamy. Add a pinch of cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form, begin adding the sugar a little at a time, then the cooled cornstarch mixture. Continue beating until mixture stiffens.

Remove bread pudding from the oven and immediately add the meringue to the hot bread pudding, spreading completely out to the edges of the baking dish, and swirling to create peaks; return to the oven to lightly brown, about 10 to 12 minutes, watching carefully. Let rest for 10 minutes. To serve, scoop out or cut squares of the warm bread pudding onto individual plates and drizzle with whiskey sauce, if desired.

~Cook’s Notes~

French bread works best for bread pudding, and though you may substitute other breads, the results will differ. Depending on how dry your French bread is, you may need to add more milk. You want the milk to just cover the bread before soaking.

Tip: For a full explanation of how to make meringue, visit my step by step tutorial. If you’re assembling or making this in advance, wait to do the meringue until you’re ready to serve it. For best results, you’ll want to bring the dish to room temperature, then bake the bread pudding and apply the meringue fresh at the end, rather than prepare the full recipe and refrigerate. To reheat leftovers, use the low setting on your microwave first to warm through, then you’ll only need a few seconds on high.

Whiskey Sauce
©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whole milk
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of whiskey, or to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan and whisk all other ingredients in except the vanilla and whiskey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Remove from heat, add vanilla and whiskey, whisk and drizzle over individual servings of warm bread pudding, shown above.

Note: Can omit whiskey for a simple glaze, or substitute rum, if desired.