Bread Pudding With Lemon Sauce

Don't faint! This is actually a new recipe. I was told by a very good friend that she was tired of looking at the Cranberry Salsa.
Read carefully now. You are going to want to pack up and head for the store the second you get done scanning this page. Now if you are lucky enough to have all of the ingredients on hand, then just begin baking now! Don't put it off. You'll have to make a second dish anyway because this one will disappear the second you pull it from the oven.

How I found GOLD!

So, the other day I wondered into this little Restaurant up in Eden. The food was delicious and since someone else was treating I decided to be a pig and get dessert. Only because I saw bread pudding on the menu and I love bread pudding.  

Now I know there is going to be someone out there with a turned up nose at the mere mention of bread pudding. I'm going to tell you very emphatically, this is not like any other bread pudding. You should try it before you scoff!

After I got done eating this yummy dish I seriously had to restrain myself from licking the bowl. I thought about carrying my dish into the bathroom so I could secretively suck up every last drop, but I didn't know how to cram the bowl in my pocket.

The key to this recipe being so satisfyingly divine is the smooth and savory lemon sauce. Oh, my mouth is watering just telling you about it.

So here ya go! Welcome to wider hips! Hahahaha

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray an 8 x 11 casserole dish with non stick spray.

In a large bowl cut into nice cubed chunks 5 generous cups of Bread. I used Texas Toast. My cubes were almost an inch x inch. I've heard french bread is good in this recipe too. Haven't tried it. The point is to make your bread cubes big and chunky and make sure you are using day old bread. Especially if you don't like mushy bread pudding.

Now in another bowl mix; 1 generous cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp nutmeg. Stir this up well so all the ingredients are well mixed. Now sprinkle it over the dry bread.

Now mix and scald the following. 2 cups (1 or 2) percent milk and 1 cup whipping cream. After scalding this mixture set aside and let it cool stirring it frequently.

Now mix in another dish combine 1/2 cup melted butter and 4 beaten eggs together. Mix these two ingredients well and then add them to the scalded milk and mix well.

Now pour wet ingredients over the bread and sugar mixture. Stir a few times but don't stir it so much it breaks up the bread. Just lightly toss it a few times.

If you love raisins here is where you will want to boil and Add a 1/2 cup dark raisins and a1/2 cup white raisins. I would never make this recipe without them, but I'm a raisin lover! Boil raisins just till softened.

After pouring the wet over the dry, now pour this into your greased casserole dish.

Place the casserole dish with the pudding in it,  in the middle of another larger dish. Fill the second dish with water until it comes up the side of your casserole dish about 1/3. This is called a water bath. You bake this in the oven uncovered.

Bake for 45 minutes. Now make the lemon sauce.

Lemon Sauce:

While the pudding is baking combine 1 cup sugar with 2 Tbs corn starch in a bowl,  mix well then add it to a pan, preferable a double broiler.

Add Two Tbs butter, 2 cups of hot water, and 3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Cook over med heat stirring well so it doesn't burn on the bottom until thickened. This sauce is not as thick as pudding. It's a very smooth and loose.

When the bread pudding is done, let it cool some, top with the lemon sauce and Fresh Whip Cream

There ya go. Enjoy!!! And try not to lick the bowl!