Drunken French Toast

The night before Bastille Day I has an epiphany. (That's a French word.)

 I shall make a breakfast pudding!

I've made this French Toast/Bread Pudding/Breakfast Casserole before, but last night I had polished off a few ( 3?) Cosmo's on a booze cruise on the lake in our boat. When I arrived home, I immediately set to work and started tossing the breakfast  together for the next morning's party.

I followed my recipe which I found in Diane Mott Davidson’s book,  “Crunch Time.” And then...I decided to add some cherries that I had  picked myself and soaked in brandy last week.

Then I saw the cooked bacon, sliced it up and added it as well. I think I might have poured one last little bitty Cosmo and then toddled off to bed.

This morning I wondered what the heck I had created, shrugged, (it's Bastille Day- I can shrug like the French.) and popped everything in the oven.

BREAKFAST BREAD PUDDING WITH RUM SAUCE

 1 tsp cinnamon

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

1 ½ pounds bread, torn up into bite-sized pieces

4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs at room temp

4 cups of half and half

2 tbs of vanilla (preferably Mexican, or you can use

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste)

Mix the cinnamon into the sugar until well combined; set aside.  Butter a 9 x 13” glass baking pan and place the torn-up bread into it.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until it is creamy.  Mix in the cinnamon sugar and beat until very creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well combined.  Mix in the half and half and the vanilla, and beat well.  (The mixture will be thin and will not be completely combined; this is normal.)  Stop the beater and use a spatula to mix as well as possible.

 Pour the butter mixture over the torn-up bread.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

 In the morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap.

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the pudding for 30 minutes, then remove from the over and stir with a wooden spoon.  Place the pudding back in the over and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until it is puffed and golden.  While the pudding is baking, prepare the rum sauce.

 The above makes 8 servings

  RUM SAUCE

 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup dark rum  ( I've also used Amaretto- yum!)

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 large egg

 In a medium sized sauté pan, melt the butter.  Add the sugar, rum and nutmeg, and stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolved and the mixture is well blended.

 Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, still in the pan.

In a small bowl, beat the egg until it is very frothy.  Beat the egg into the butter mixture until well combined.  Place the sauté pan back on the stove and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until the mixture thickens.

 Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the pudding. You will have extra, so drink it, I mean, serve it on the side.

The pudding was a hit. I however, could not eat it due to a slight hangover. C'est la vie!

“Here's to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned