Bread Pudding Ingredients:

• 3 cups of sugar
• 2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
• 6 eggs (room temperature)
• 12 oz can of evaporated milk
• 8oz of heavy cream (35% whipping cream)
• 1 1/2 cup of warm water
• 2 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract
• 1/4 Teaspoon of salt
• 2.5 quart of crusty old (but not molded) French bread, hand torn in 1" or so chunks ***

Preheat the oven to 350F before you start.

In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add 1 egg at a time and mix until homogenous. Add the cream, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the bread to the mixture, fold it in well, and let it soak for about 3 minutes. Add the warm water until you get a soupy mix. It should be nice and wet but not overly diluted. All depending on your bread you may need to add more or less water. MAKE SURE that the custard is not completely absorbed, it should be somewhat soupy.

Butter a 9x13" pan well, add the bread mixture and tamp down gently to even it out and place on a cookie sheet in case it spill and place in the over for 45 minutes to 1 hr. The bread pudding is ready when golden brown, crusty on the outside and firm but giggly in the middle. During the cooking it will swell and once it comes out will deflate back down.

Sauce ingredients:

• 2 cups of whole milk
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 Tablespoon of cornstarch
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 teaspoons of Vanilla extract
• 2 to 4 Tablespoon of your favorite Whisky or Bourbon (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

First start by scalding the milk in a sauce pot. In a mixing bowl whisk eggs, sugar and cornstarch. Temper the egg mixture with 1/4 cup of the hot milk whisking well to prevent making scrambled eggs. Once the egg mixture is properly tempered add it to the remainder of the milk in the sauce pot, add the Bourbon, butter, Vanilla and cinnamon and cook over medium heat until thickened (whisking).

P.S. If you prefer the more striking pungent taste of alcohol cook the sauce first, remove from the heat and add the Vanilla and Bourbon last (to prevent alcohol evaporation). Personally I prefer the flavor and not the smack of the alcohol