Caramel-Pecan Bread Pudding

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

Bread pudding is marvelous for a brunch. This is a great way to use stale bread. We top this pudding with melted Kraft caramels for an extra-special treat. If you prefer a heavier caramel topping, increase amount of caramels to 8 ounces.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Place toasted pecans, bread cubes, and raisins in an 8-inch-square baking dish. Toss to mix. In a medium mixing bowl, blend milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Use a whisk to blend eggs well. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and allow to sit 15 minutes. Place in oven and bake until puffed and brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
2. In the meantime, melt caramels in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat. If too thick to pour, thin them with a little maple or corn syrup. Pour melted caramels over hot pudding in a zigzag pattern. Allow pudding to cool completely, then refrigerate.
3. To rewarm, cut pudding into 8 servings. Place each serving in an individual ovenproof dish and warm in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.

Notes

• The pudding can be well wrapped and frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours before rewarming. Rewarm as indicated above.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.