Creamy vanilla bread pudding with whisky and raisins

Preparation

Baking Directions:

This rich and comforting pudding is so creamy and vanilla-y .

I warn you it will go fast! The quick whiskey-raisin sauce is perfect for St.

Patrick's Day and is absolutely delicious along with the caramel sauce and whipped cream.

I definitely suggest serving it with all three.

To prepare the bread pudding:In a medium saucepan, heat the cream over low heat.

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a paring knife and scrape the seeds out into the cream.

Add the bean to the pot too.

Stir in the salt and heat the cream until warm to the touch.

Take the pot off the heat and let the vanilla bean steep for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Pile the bread cubes into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, distributing them more or less evenly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using a hand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar on medium speed until the mixture is light yellow in color and falls from the beater in thick ribbons, about 5 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract.

Remove the vanilla bean pod from the cream mixture and reheat the cream over medium heat.

Do not let it boil, but do let it get quite hot.

Remove the cream from the heat and slowly pour 1 cup of it into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Then pour the egg-cream mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cream and whisk it together.

Strain the cream mixture through a fine-mesh strainer over the bread cubes in the baking dish.

Give the pan a gentle shake to be sure all is distributed well and then let the bread absorb the custard for at least 30 minutes before baking.

If baking the bread pudding right away, heat the oven to 350 degrees F, with a rack in the center.

If not, cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

When ready to bake, set the bread pudding dish in a larger roasting pan.

Add hot water to the roasting pan until the water is halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake in the center of the oven until the custard is just firm, 50 minutes to 1 hour (begin checking earlier; give the pan a gentle shake and take it out of the oven when the custard is no longer jiggly).

Let cool a bit.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold.

Put a serving in a large dish and top with raisin sauce, caramel sauce, if using, and a dollop of chantilly cream.

To prepare the raisin sauce:In a medium saucepan, combine the whiskey, sugar, 1 cup water and the cinnamon stick.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced by half.

Add the raisins and cook, stirring occasionally until the raisins soften and absorb the flavor of the liquid, about another 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

To prepare the creamy caramel sauce:Combine the sugar with 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan.

Dissolve the sugar over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is clear.

Increase the heat to high and cook, swirling the pan to cook evenly but no longer stirring, until the caramel is a deep amber.

(Check the color by carefully drizzling some onto a white plate.)

Don't worry if the sugar hardens while cooking; simply stir it and continue cooking until it smooths out.

Take the pot off the heat and carefully whisk in the cream.

The caramel will sputter, so be careful, as it's very hot.

Return the sauce to the heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Let cool a bit before serving, but serve warm.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

To prepare the chantilly cream:In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using a hand mixer, combine the cream, sugar, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

Whisk the ingredients together, gently at first and then increasing the speed, until you can lift out the stopped whisk and leave behind peaks just shy of firm.

Be careful not to overbeat, however, or you'll get very sweet butter.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.