Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding

Revered by some as the ultimate comfort food, bread pudding, however, generally gets a bad rap and quite undeservedly so. My wife claimed for years that she did not like bread pudding, remembering the bland versions of her childhood.

As with any great simple dish, the quality of the ingredients is paramount to the success of the final product. This principle is particularly relevant to the preparation of a good bread pudding. Start by using a very good bread. Here I have used some day old brioche from the neighbourhood Georgestown Bakery which lends itself particularly well to this recipe. This soft, buttery, egg enriched bread is my ideal choice for this dessert. Crustier breads can add more textural interest and some may prefer their slightly chewier virtues in bread pudding. Good homemade white or whole wheat breads cannot be discounted for their adaptability either and not to forget leftover croissants which sometimes make their way into bread pudding recipes on some posh restaurant's menus.

There really is no substitute for cream in this recipe. Many local versions use only milk which does not work as well with the eggs to form the custard which binds the whole thing together. This is the occasion to use very good vanilla extract or even to previously steep a split and scraped vanilla pod into the milk for a few minutes before adding it to the preparation.

This is the recipe that changed Spouse's opinion of bread pudding. In the end, I had to send out the final few servings of this pudding to a friend's family, as Spouse claimed she could not be trusted to be left alone in the house with it. It is that good.

Soak
½ cup raisins in ¼ cup amber rum. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for several hours or overnight.

5 cups bread cubes (Use any good quality bread. I’ve used Brioche here but French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Toss in the bread cubes in an even layer. Sprinkle the bread cubes with the rum soaked raisins along with the rum that they were soaked in. Sprinkle the bread cubes and raisins with

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved:

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center. Let the bread pudding stand for about 20 minutes before serving. If desired, when serving, drizzle with a mixture of

2 ounces honey

1 ounce amber rum