Recipe: Rhubarb Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

RHUBARB BREAD PUDDING WITH WHISKEY SAUCE

"This bread pudding is delicious on its own but is absolutely scrumptious when accompanied by the buttery whiskey sauce. The contrast between the puckery tartness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the pudding that envelops it is heavenly. This is the perfect dish in which to showcase fresh local rhubarb, but can also be made year-round using frozen rhubarb. (You can also try using pitted fresh or tart cherries, peaches, plums, or apricots.) The bread pudding makes a great dessert, but you might want to try serving it warm for breakfast, drizzled with pure maple syrup."

4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 cups day-old cinnamon bread (with or without raisins), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound fresh rhubarb (about 6 hefty stalks), cut into 1/2-inch slices, or 4 cups frozen rhubarb
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Whiskey Sauce (optional, for serving, recipe follows)

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half-and-half, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla, and salt. Stir the bread into the egg mixture, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, pushing the bread down into the liquid from time to time.

WHEN READY TO BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the cinnamon. Gently stir the rhubarb mixture into the bread mixture. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.

Bake until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 55 to 65 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for about 30 minutes.

To serve, spoon the warm bread pudding into serving bowls and drizzle with warm Whiskey Sauce, if desired.

WHISKEY SAUCE

4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons half-and-half
2 tablespoons whiskey
Pinch of salt

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar, half-and-half, whiskey, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Makes 6 servings
Courtesy of Edible Vancouver (BC, Canada)
Adapted from source: EDIBLE: A Celebration of Local Foods by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian