This New Orleans bread pudding is adapted from Emeril Lagasse's classic dessert recipe to be made easier for beginner bakers at home. A golden brown and crispy bread pudding with a vanilla bourbon custard is dotted with golden raisins and drizzled with warm bourbon sauce over the top.
Prepare the bread: You could start the day before by baking my easy homemade French bread in the bread machine or by buying a loaf of French bread (not a baguette, you want more of the center part of the bread than crust) at the grocery store. Let it get a little stale for a day.
Bake the Bread Pudding:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the softened butter around the inside of a 8x11-inch baking dish. Slice the bread into cubes and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and bourbon. Whisk them together until smooth. Add the half and half and whisk it in.
Add the cubed bread and the golden raisins and gently fold them into the cream. Be careful, you don't want the bread to turn to mush. Just get all the sides coated in cream and then stop.
Let the bread soak up the custard for 2 hours, giving it a stir once in a while so it soaks up evenly.
Scrape the bread and custard into the prepared baking pan and smooth into an even layer. Bake for 55 minutes or until the custard is set in the middle. It should cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Prepare the Kentucky Bourbon Sauce:
While the bread pudding is baking, you can prepare the bourbon sauce.
Measure the bourbon into a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and whisk it in. Set aside.
Add the heavy cream, half and half, vanilla, and sugar to a saucepan a whisk them together. Heat the mixture over high heat and continue to whisk for 3 minutes.
When the cream begins to bubble, add the prepared bourbon mixture. Continue to whisk and cook until the cream fully boils. Immediately remove from the heat and whisk until the sauce is blended and slightly thickened.
Return the bourbon sauce to the burner over low heat and simmer for one minute. Serve warm.
Assemble and Serve:
Serve a portion of the warm bread pudding on plate. Drizzle the bourbon sauce over the top. If you want, you could also add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon to finish it off.