Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding With Bourbon Butterscotch Sauce Recipe 445

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread cubes in the baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and a uniform consistency. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the surface of the bread and egg mixture. Give everything a light stir to distribute the chocolate chips throughout and to ensure all the bread is evenly coated. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set (a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean). Serve the pudding warm or at room temperature with or without the sauce and or with whipped topping. Sauce: Using a medium sized sauce pan, whisk sugar and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until the sugar dissolves and the sauce is smooth and thick. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the bourbon and vanilla. Be careful as it will bubble up. Continue whisking until combined. Serve warm over the Chocolate Bread Pudding. The remaining sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week and re-heated over low heat as needed.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and butterscotch chips; mixture should be the consistency of oatmeal. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, until nearly set. (It should have a "thigh wiggle" or wiggle as much as a well endowed thigh.) Serve warm or cold.

Steps:

• The day before you want to serve this dessert, if possible, put raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and drain. Place plumped raisins in a plastic container with a tight-fitting cover and sprinkle with the rum. Cover and let macerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter and cool slightly.
• Cut the challah in half, and cut one of the halves into thin slices. Cut remaining bread into cubes.
• Put diced challah in the bottom of the baking dish. Strew with the raisins and rum and half the butter. Dip one side of each slice of challah into the butter and arrange, slightly overlapping and buttered side up, over the top of diced challah and raisins.
• Combine the milk, cream and sugar, and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and allow to stand 3 minutes; whisk smooth.
• Whisk eggs until combined in a large mixing bowl, then strain the milk mixture into the eggs and beat them together. Do not overbeat or the custard will have a great deal of foam on the surface. Strain the custard back into the pan and use a large spoon to skim any foam from the surface. Pour the custard over the challah.
• Place the baking dish in another larger pan and pour warm water into it to come halfway up the side of the baking dish. Bake the bread pudding for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set and the challah is an even color.

Steps:

• FOR SAUCE:
• Stir sugar and water in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Mix in corn syrup and lemon juice. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally. Remove from heat. Pour in cream (mixture will bubble up). Stir over low heat until caramel is melted and smooth. Increase heat; boil until sauce is reduced to 1 2/3 cups, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in pecans and bourbon. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using.)
• FOR PUDDING:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine milk, cream and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; stir until smooth. Beat eggs and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture. Add bread cubes. Let stand until bread absorbs some of custard, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake until set in center, about 45 minutes. Uncover; cool at least 15 minutes.
• Serve pudding warm or at room temperature with warm sauce.