INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup Grape-Nuts cereal
Cinnamon Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce:
1 egg
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp. pure maple syrup
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp. cinnamon whiskey
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil a pot of water for a steam bath.
Using a whisk, beat eggs slightly by hand. Gradually add sugar. Beat for 1 minute. Add milk, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and grape-nuts. Beat until well-blended. Pour into a prepared 8-inch round 2-quart baking dish.
Place the baking dish in a roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to go halfway up the baking dish. Bake for 50-65 minutes or until the center is no longer jiggly. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.
To make the sauce:
Beat egg in a small bowl and set aside. Combine heavy cream, maple syrup, and corn syrup a saucepan on medium low to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly for 12 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly (the sauce should only be at a slight bubble). Remove pan from heat. Stir in whiskey.
Scoop out 1/3 cup of the sauce. Slowly drizzle into the beaten egg, whisking constantly. Add egg mixture into the pan, beating constantly. Return pan back onto the heat. Bring back to a simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Add whiskey. Continue stirring for 2 minutes to thicken sauce.
To serve, drizzle sauce over pudding. Store pudding and sauce refrigerated. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Recipe Notes:
To prevent curdling, use high fat heavy cream. Do not substitute.
Cream sauce should be smooth. If egg formed lumps, strain finished sauce through a fine sieve mesh.
Cream sauce thickens when chilled. To reheat microwave for a few seconds and stir.
If using a different size baking dish, you might need to adjust baking time. The 8-inch round 2-quart baking dish produces bread pudding that’s about 1 1/2-inch thick. If you’re using a baking dish that yields pudding with less thickness, you might need to reduce bake time.
Source: Sauce adapted from Pioneer Woman's Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce.