Pumpkin bread Pudding with Bourbon Pecan sauce

By LisaMK

This recipe is from the Food and Wine, november 2012. It would be a great dessert for Thanksgiving or the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1 stick plus 3 tbs unsalted butter, softened, plus melted butter for brushing
• 1 pound challah bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 3 lb butternut squash
• 1 1/4 cus sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 4 large eggs
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 14 oz can pure pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tbs bourbon
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 135mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 9-inch deep dish glass pie plates. Spread challah on large baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden.
2. Cut neck from butternut squash. Peel it and cut it lengthwise into two 3/4inch thick slabs. Peel, seed and cut all of the remaining squash into 1/2 inch dice.
3. In a very large nonstick skillet, melt 3 tbs of butter. Add diced squash an cook over high heat until lightly browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender and glossy, 3 mins longer. Let cool.
4. In large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup of sugar with eggs, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the sauteed squash and challah and gently toss to combine. Spoon the mixture into the buttered pie plates and top each with a loose lattice pattern of the squash strips. Brush the strips with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Cover with parchment and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes longer, until the tops are golden and the puddings are set. Let the puddings rest for 15 minutes.
5. In a bowl, whisk the remaining butter with confectioners' sugar, bourbon and pecans. Serve the pudding with the sauce.

Can be made ahead, refrigerated overnight. Rewarm at 300 degrees for about 15 minutes before serving.