Recipe: Chocolate Orange Bread Pudding with Chocolate Rum Sauce (low fat)

CHOCOLATE ORANGE BREAD PUDDING

1 pound French bread, torn into bite-size pieces
3 cups fat-free milk
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Egg substitute equivalent to 1 egg (or 1 large regular egg)
2 tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 medium oranges)*
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Chocolate Rum Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Put bread pieces in pan. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat milk, sugar and cocoa powder over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture looks like hot chocolate, about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.

Whisk in remaining ingredients. Pour over bread and let mixture sit for about 15 minutes or until bread has absorbed all the liquid.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until pudding is puffed up in center and a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.

*Use a zester or kitchen rasp to get the top layer of citrus peel without also getting any of the white pith, which is bitter.

CHOCOLATE RUM SAUCE
Makes 12 servings (2 tablespoons per serving)

1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons light stick margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup white or dark rum or fruit-flavored liqueur

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and margarine; cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Makes 18 servings (one 2-by-2-inch slice per serving)
Source: Low-Fat and Luscious Desserts by the American Heart Association