Mystery
Lovers' Kitchen is delighted to welcome Marian Stanley as our guest today (failte romhat!). I may be a little
biased--Marian is a friend from the Boston area, and in Buried Troubles, her
second book, she's writing about both Boston and Ireland (although not the
County Cork area I know). It's a delightful read--but then, we know that the
Irish are good story-tellers, right? And these days they're good cooks as well.
I don’t
think of the story in Buried Troubles, based in
Boston and Ireland, as being alcohol-drenched. However, I do mention Irish
whiskey a few times (Jameson’s or “Jay”) – usually lacing a cup of tea or maybe
a strong cup of coffee after dinner. (I also mention Ipswich Ale in the book,
but I don’t have a recipe for that yet!)
So, the
combination of a rich bread pudding with a touch of the “Jay” sounds
intriguing. To date, my favorite bread pudding has been an orange-chocolate
version with a Grand Marnier whipped cream that we’ve had for Christmas
sometimes. Now, I think that wonderful dessert has been replaced on my
favorites list with this excellent Caramel-Whiskey bread pudding.
I will
confess that, after making this dessert, my daughter and I had two helpings each
for dinner. (That would not be with dinner, but for dinner.)
So, be forewarned. A little dangerous.
I owe
full credit for this recipe to Charlotte Song of Mount Lebanon, PA., who served
the pudding to the Woodridge Book Club in her home earlier this year.
CARAMEL-WHISKY
BREAD PUDDING
INGREDIENTS
FOR PUDDING
1/4 cup
melted butter
1
(10-ounce) French bread baguette cut into 1-inch slices
1/2 cup
raisins
1/4 cup
Irish whiskey
1-3/4
cups milk
1 cup
sugar
1
tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large
eggs, lightly beaten
cooking
spray
1
tablespoon sugar
1
teaspoon ground cinnamon
Caramel-Whiskey
Sauce
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.
Brush
melted butter on one side of French bread slices, and place bread, buttered
sides up, on a baking sheet.
Bake
bread for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.
Cut bread
into 1/2-inch cubes, and set aside.
Combine
raisins and whiskey in a small bowl; cover and let stand 10 minutes or until
soft (do not drain). You could substitute apple juice (??!!) for whiskey.
Combine
milk and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl; stir well with a
whisk. Add bread cubes and raisin mixture, pressing gently to moisten; let
stand 15 minutes. Spoon bread mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated
with cooking spray.
Combine 1
tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pudding. Bake at 350 for 35
minutes or until set. Serve warm with Caramel-Whiskey Sauce.
INGREDIENTS
FOR CARAMEL-WHISKY SAUCE
1-1/2
cups sugar
2/3 cup
water
1/4 cup
butter
2 ounces
cream cheese
1/4 cup
Irish whiskey (again, substitute 1 tablespoon imitation rum extract and 3
tablespoons water for whiskey, if desired)
1/4 cup
milk
Combine
sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until
sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.
Cook an
additional 15 minutes or until golden (do not stir)
After the
sugar mixture is done, carefully add butter and cream cheese, stirring
constantly with a whisk (mixture will be hot and bubble vigorously).
Cool
slightly and stir in whiskey and milk.
GIVEAWAY ALERT!
A COPY OF MY NEW ROSARIA O’REILLY MYSTERY BURIED TROUBLES TO ONE COMMENTATOR TODAY!
BURIED
TROUBLES
