Pear Bread Pudding With Jack Daniels Sauce

Submitted by REALtorFOOD

"Adapted from Jr. League of Jackson, MS cookbook Southern Sideboards, "Ramada Inn Bread Pudding" recipe. I add pears and cranberries for variety and when our old fashioned pears come in season late fall. This is a great brunch dish substitute for french toast if you leave off the Jack Daniels sauce!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 large loaf French bread, cubed and dried (overnight)
• 2 -3 semi ripe pears, peeled, cored and diced in bite sized pieces
• 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries (or Craisins)
• 2 cups white wine
• 6 eggs
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar (I use Turbinado or Brown)
• 2 pints half-and-half
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter

• Sauce

• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey
• 1 cup half-and-half

directions

1. Place bread cubes in a lightly greased lasagna style baking dish.
2. In a sauce pan, poach pears in white wine until softened (10-15 minutes) then add dried cranberries and stir. Remove from heat and allow cranberries to reconstitute in the white wine (5 minutes).
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, 1 1/2 C sugar, 2 pints Half and Half, salt and vanilla and mix until sugar is dissolved.
4. Pour egg mixture over torn bread cubes toss to coat evenly and allow to absorb (5 minutes). Pour fruit mixture over bread and egg mixture and dot with 2 T of butter.
5. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
6. Sauce:.
7. Melt butter over medium high heat in a sauce pan.
8. Add brown sugar stirring constantly until sugar is melted and begins to bubble. Add whiskey and bring to a slight boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to medium and stir in half and half. Continue to cook 2-3 minutes more over medium heat until slightly thickened (should have the consistency of hot fudge sauce) when ready.
10. Remove from heat and drizzle over individual servings of Bread Pudding. Enjoy!