Did any of you out there guess what the slice of decadence is up there? If you guessed bread pudding pat your self on the back and treat yourself to something sweet. I would send you a slice but it’s all gone. Don’t ask me! I came home and all that was left of my bread pudding were some crumbs in my skillet. I must have mice.

I have had this recipe on the brain for quite sometime. It is a mix of two recipes. One from my great-grandmother and a creole bread pudding recipe from Commander’s Palace. I sort of threw the pantry into it so to speak. Lets just say that you have 2-3 hours to kill this weekend, here’s how you’ll want to do it. All you will need to go with it is a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and some mice.

Here is what you will need to get started…

1 tablespoon butter

12 medium eggs

3 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons pure vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 cup honey

1 teaspoon Chicago Spiced Sugar mix

1 oz dark  rum

1 loaf of french bread

1 cast iron skillet

Preheat the oven to 250

Whisk together the eggs and the cream in a large bowl. Yes 12 eggs y’all.

Add the dark rum. If you don’t have a weight at home use a little less than a shot.

Then add the vanilla.

And the honey. Y’all can thank my great grandma Effie Joe for the dark rum and honey contribution.

In a separate bowl…

Combine the sugar and the spiced sugar mix, stirring until well blended. I have always found a fork works best. Then add the sugar to the hopped up liquid mixture and whisk until well blended.

Slice the entire loaf of french bread into approx. 1 inch thick slices.

Arrange as many whole slices evenly in a large cast iron skillet. Tare some of the slices into small pieces and fill in the gaps.

Pour the mixture over the slices of bread. Can I just say, if I were a cat we wouldn’t make it past this part.

The bread will float so use a fork to push those little suckers back down. Make sure that they’re covered completely and begin to absorb the liquid.

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 2  to 3 hours or until firm all the way through, depending on the heat of your oven. I use a kabob skewer to check. The bread pudding will puff up and expand while cooking so you don’t want the foil to bind it down. See…mid way through and all puffed up.

Remove the aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes or so to get that lovely golden toasted crust. Let the bread pudding cool when you remove it from the oven. Don’t be  alarmed when the bread pudding drops like a souffle gone bad. But this isn’t bad, this is soooo good.

Spoon some of that gloriously sweet rich bread pudding on a plate and serve warm. If you are daring and aren’t scared of sending your body into sugar shock add some white chocolate drizzle over it. I ain’t scared y’all!  Guess what? If by chance you have to run out but you’re wily like me and are on to those mice, cut yourself a slice and hide it way back in your fridge. I recommend the spot behind the science experiment. No one would dare to look there. It’s even better the next day. It might not be as gooey but it tastes divine.

Now I have a small dilemma with this recipe. My bread pudding needs a name, and Oscar is already taken. Do I call it Skillet Bread Pudding, Rum Bread Pudding, Rum Bread Pudding with White Chocolate Drizzle or Bread Pudding Suprise-Watch out for a spoon in the middle? I’m going to let you all decide.

As always have fun making this recipe and by all means, play around with it to make it your own.

Xoxo,

Tickled Red