Recipe: Gilliland’s Irish Bread Pudding with Caramel-Whiskey Sauce

1 (2-pound) loaf sliced white bread, crusts removed

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup Irish Whiskey

2 1/2 cups milk

2 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, slit

8 eggs

1 cup sugar

Cinnamon-sugar (about 1/4 cup)

Caramel-Whiskey Sauce

Spread bread slices with some of soft butter. Toast lightly on 1 side. Cut bread in 1/2-inch squares. Set aside.

Plump raisins in Irish whiskey. Set aside.

Heat milk and cream with vanilla bean, scraping out seeds from bean. Cool. Discard bean. Set milk aside.

Beat eggs with sugar. Add to milk mixture. Stir in bread cubes and raisin mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.

Pour bread mixture into well-buttered 13x9-inch glass baking pan. Dot with remaining butter, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar to taste. Bake at 350 degrees 45 to 60 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Serve with Caramel-Whiskey Sauce. Makes 8 servings.

Caramel-Whiskey Sauce

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup butter

Whipping cream

1/4 cup Irish whiskey

Melt sugar in water over low heat until caramelized. Add butter and 1 1/2 cups whipping cream and cook to desired consistency.

Cool, then add whiskey and more cream for desired consistency, if necessary. Makes about 3 cups.