2/3 c Raisins
1/4 c Rum; (optional)
12 oz Day-old organic white bread;
-cut 1/2″ cubes
3 tb Unsalted butter; softened
3 c Milk
1 Vanilla bean; split
-lengthwise
3/4 c Granulated sugar
3 lg Eggs
3 lg Egg yolks
Confectioners’ sugar; for
-garnish
In a small bowl, macerate raisins in rum 30 minutes. Drain the
raisins. Lightly butter a 2-quart baking dish. Spread the bread
evenly in the baking dish and sprinkle the raisins on top. Preheat
oven to 400 degrees. In a heavy saucepan bring milk to a bare simmer
over moderate heat with vanilla bean and granulated sugar and remove
pan from heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean with a knife into milk,
reserving pod for another use, and whisk to break up seeds. In a
large heatproof bowl whisk together whole eggs and yolks and add hot
milk in a slow stream, whisking. Ladle custard evenly over bread and
set dish in a larger baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to reach
halfway up side of dish and bake pudding in middle of oven 25 to 30
minutes, or until puffed and set. Remove dish from water bath and
cool pudding to warm or room temperature. Just before serving dust
pudding with confectioners’ sugar. This recipe yields 6 servings.
Yields
6 servings