Bread Pudding With Chocolate Chips and Warm Praline Sauce

swissms's Note:

From Ocotillo Restaurant, Big Bend National Park, Texas. Published in Bon Appetit, November 2007.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Praline Sauce

• ½ cup golden brown sugar
• ¼ cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1⁄8; teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄3; cup chopped pecans

Bread Pudding

• 1 lb loaf egg bread , crusts removed and cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes (about 13 cups)
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (about 6 oz.)
• 1 cup chopped pecans (about 4 oz.)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup unsalted butter , melted, cooled
• vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Praline Sauce:.
2. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, brandy, cinnamon sticks, rum, vanilla extract, and nutmeg in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until brown sugar dissolves. Boil 1 minute. Mix in pecans. (Sauce can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat before serving.).
3. Bread Pudding:.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread bread cubes in dish in even layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over. Whisk milk, sugar, and eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in melted butter. Pour custard over bread mixture in dish. Let stand at room temperature until bread has absorbed almost all of custard, occasionally pressing bread cubes into custard, about 1 hour.
5. Bake pudding until top puffs up and is golden and crisp in places, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream and warm praline sauce.