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The January 2007 Recipe of the Month Chocolate Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce We thank Toni Charles in Michigan for this rich and incredibly yummy chocolate bread pudding dessert…Toni fixes this for large gatherings at the holidays and it's always a hit…everyone loves it.
Ingredients FOR THE SAUCE 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup light corn syrup 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (helps prevent sauce from forming crystals) 1 1/4 cups whipping cream 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted 2 Tablespoons rum (can be omitted) FOR THE BREAD PUDDING 2 cups whole milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat) 2 cups whipping cream 1 cup sugar 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 8 large eggs 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 1 one-pound loaf unsliced egg bread (such as challah or brioche), crusts trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces Directions FOR THE 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 carefully without stirring until syrup turns medium light amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally. Be careful in this step as it can go to dark amber very quickly and you will end up with a slightly burnt taste. 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 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in pecans and rum. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Re-warm before using.) FOR THE BREAD 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, stirring carefully to avoid cooking the egg mixture. Add bread cubes. Let stand until bread absorbs some of custard, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. You can soak the bread longer; you want the bread to absorb as much of the liquid as possible. 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 the warm sauce. Serves 12 or more Enjoy!