Golden Raisin Bread Pudding

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

Introduction

It is wonderful that there is a return to delightful home-style desserts. They are so easy and comforting, but this one is also pretty enough to serve to company. Try to marinate your raisins at least a day in advance. If you can’t find golden raisins, regular black ones work very well.

Ingredients

Steps

1. A day or 2 before serving toss the raisins with brandy in a medium bowl. Cover and store at room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice bread into ½-inch slices and spread 1 side with unsalted butter. Cut slices into large cubes. Butter bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole or souffle dish. Cover the bottom of the casserole with bread cubes and sprinkle about ⅓ of the marinated raisins over the bread. Toss in another layer of bread cubes and then more raisins, repeating until both are used up.
3. In a large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar. Add all the remaining ingredients and whisk until well blended. Pour egg mixture over bread. Bake until puffed and well browned, about 45 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer should register 1 80°F when done.) Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving; do try to serve while still warm.

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