Geoff's mom used to make some wonderful bread pudding using a recipe that she got from her grandmother. In those days everything was homemade and the ingredients were all farm fresh.
Jump ahead to today where we are living on a small island in the Bahamas and ingredients are sometimes hard or impossible to find.
We were having some friends over for supper and Geoff decided he would do dessert. He thought his mother's bread pudding would be good but we just couldn't find the ingredients we needed. So he had to change the recipe and give it a tropical twist. One of the things we have lots of here is dark rum. So the idea of a Dark Rum Sauce just came naturally.
It was a big hit at our get together and we hope you enjoy it.
Cherry Walnut Bread Pudding
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Tear bread into 1/2 inch pieces. You can use store bought "squeezable" bread if that is all you have but home made Italian bread would be better.
- In a medium bowl beat eggs with a fork.
- Add the sugar, melted butter and spices. Then stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add the bread and break up the pieces with your fork.
- Add milk and whisk the mixture with a fork until fairly smooth.
- Pour about 2/3 cup each into 6 ramekins.
- Add an equal amount of cherries and walnuts to each ramekin. If you add the cherries and walnuts to the milk mixture they may not get evenly distributed into the ramekins.
- Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes. You know it's done when the top no longer looks wet and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Sprinkle the top with grated nutmeg if you like.
We prefer our bread pudding cold so we make it ahead and put it in the refrigerator. If you like yours warm just pop the raw mixture into the oven when you sit down for your main course.
Dark Rum Sauce
For an extra special treat serve this dark rum sauce and give your bread pudding a Caribbean kick.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
- Add an egg and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Add the sugar and whisk all ingredients together.
- Bring to a simmer, whisking the mixture continuously until thick and creamy.
- Add the dark rum and stir it in. If the mixture is now too thin reduce it by continuing to simmer until you get the right consistency.