homemade bread pudding with warm rum caramel sauce

mmmm mmmm!!! This one is dedicated to my daddy... a simple pleasure he made once or twice a year for us to enjoy :-) Love you Daddy

- 1 ½ loafs of bread (I use the French bread and it has to be at least a day or two old)

- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar

- 4 ½ cups of milk (you could use evaporated milk for a stronger flavor… y use 3 ½cp of regular whole milk and 1cp of butter milk)

- 3eggs at room temperature

- 1 teasp of ground cinnamon

- 1 teasp of ground cloves (I use the whole cloves and strain them out)

- 1 teasp of vanilla extract

- ½ teasp of salt

- 2 tablespoons of rum

- Optional (some ppl like to add 1 teasp of ground ginger and half a cup of gold raisins. I am not a fan of raisins but if you add then my vote is that you should soak then in half a cup of rum for 15-20 and drain before incorporating them to the rest of the ingredients)

• Preheat the oven at 350º (bake)
• In a separate bowl mix the eggs with ½ cup of milk and strain. This will get rid of any un-dissolved eggs. Leave aside.
• Place a deep pot in low heat, bring to a simmer the rest of the milk, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and salt (if you want to use the ground ginger, this is the moment to add it). Mix well
• While this come to a simmer, cut the bread into cubes (about one inch, I like to have different sizes to create more texture)
• Once everything is incorporated add the rum keep mixing for about a minute and turn off the heat.
• If you used ground cloves you can add the cubed bread to this mixture. If not, strain them out and then add the cubed bread (If you want to use raisins, this is the moment to add them). Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon and let it sit until it cools down. (do not put in the fridge, just let it sit for about 15-20 minutes)
• Now add the egg mixture (the previous cooling step is important or you will end up with scrambled eggs). Mix well enough to incorporate the eggs.
• Pour into a greased baking pan of your choice. I like to sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of sugar on the top to get a nice gold and crunchy top.
• Bake in a water bath at 350º for about 45 minutes. (Place your mold inside a larger one and once inside thepour watter in the larger mold and do not go above half way up.)
• Once baked, let it cool until it reaches room temperature and then refrigerate. You can warm it up or take out 30 minutes before serving so that it’s not too cold.

- 1 cup of brown sugar

- ½ cup of white sugar

- 1 stick of butter

- 2 tablespoons of water

- ¼ cup of rum

- 2 tablespoons of milk

- ½ tablespoon of corn starch

• In a sauce pan on medium heat add the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer.
• Lower the heat and carefully add the rum.
• Add the butter in pieces and mix. Let simmer for about 5 minutes
• Dissolve the corn starch in the milk and add it to the caramel. Mixing well.
• Leave it in the low heat for about 3 minutes or until it reaches the consistency you want and keep in mind that it will thicken more as it cools down. Just go back and stir from time to time
• Turn of the heat and you are ready to enjoy

I must be honest... you see that piece in that picture? Well my kids were desperately waiting, with fork in hand, for me to take the picture. As soon as I said "let's eat" ... it disappeared within a minute and the only thing left was my 6 year old's sight and the following comment out of her mouth was "I wish it could have lasted forever".

...with Love