Mom's Amazing Chocolate Bread Pudding with Pecan Rum Flambe Sauce

By Hklbrries

Mother’s Day winner: The Kitchen Engine (a Spokane, WA business) has a website which includes links to the winning recipes from the store’s Mother’s Day recipe contest.

Debbie Smith won first prize for her Chocolate Bread Pudding with Pecan Rum Flambé. Second-place winner Kristine Santucci whipped up Chicken Nachatta over Smashed Mascarpone Potatoes. The third-place prize went to Dianna Shimizu for Key Lime Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce.

Here’s the winning recipe!

Ingredients

• Mom's Amazing Chocolate Bread Pudding:
• 1 loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
• 3 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup pero instant coffee substitute (see note) or 1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• Pecan Rum Flambé Sauce (recipe follows)
• Heavy whipping cream, lightly sweetened and whipped, optional
• Pecan Rum Flambe Sauce:
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup dark rum (or 1 tablespoon of rum flavoring or vanilla extract if you don’t want flambé)

Preparation

Step 1

Mom's Amazing Chocolate Bread Pudding:

Preheat oven to 325 F. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish, then fill with the bread cubes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream and pero (see note) or liqueur.

In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with cocoa powder and mix well. Add the cocoa mixture to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.

In a medium bowl, add the vanilla extract, almond extract and cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture.

Bake the pudding for 1 hour.

Serve the pudding warm or cold, with Pecan Rum Flambé dessert sauce and a dab of very lightly sweetened heavy whipping cream.

Note: Prepare the pero according to package directions, doubling the dry granules.

Pecan Rum Flambe Sauce:

In a large skillet, melt the butter and add brown sugar; stir together. Add the pecans and cook until sugar has caramelized over medium-high heat.

Turn off the stove and pour in the rum. Stand back and carefully light with a long lighter. Be careful; a flame will shoot up above the pan.

As the alcohol cooks out, the flame will die down.

Serve over chocolate bread pudding with an optional dab of sweetened whipped cream.

Note: If you don’t want the flambé, just stir in the rum flavoring or substitute 1 tablespoon vanilla.