Commander's Palace Bread
Pudding Soufflé
Desserts
|
After making this recipe several times for company,
I finally experienced the "real" thing in May 2007 when we visited New Orleans
and celebrated my 60th birthday with dinner at
Commander's Palace.
What an exquisite treat! Commander's Palace generously shares the recipe on
their website as well as in a brochure that you can pick up in the lobby of the
restaurant, but I've decided to add it to our website because it's such a
favorite of ours. I have not changed anything from the original, including all
of the commas (ha-ha!). I will mention, however, that when we ate this dessert
in New Orleans it had been prepared slightly differently from these instructions
- the topping was pure meringue, not mixed in with the bread pudding. So, do it
either way and it will be wonderful. |
||
|
Bread Pudding: 3/4 cups Sugar |
|
|
|
Whiskey Sauce: 1 cup Heavy Cream |
||
|
Meringue:
9 Medium Egg Whites To make the bread pudding, first preheat oven to 350°. Grease 8" square baking pan. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then work in the heavy cream. Add the vanilla, then the bread cubes. Allow bread to soak up custard. Place the raisins in a greased pan.
Top with the egg mixture, which prevents the raisins from burning. Bake for
approximately 25-30 minutes or until the pudding has a golden brown color and is
firm to the touch. If a toothpick inserted in the pudding comes out clean, it is
done. The mixture of pudding should be nice and moist, not runny or dry. Cool to
room temperature. |
|
|
|
To make the whiskey sauce, place the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Whisk corn starch and water together, and add to cream while whisking. Bring to a boil. Whisk and let simmer for a few seconds, taking care not to burn the mixture on the bottom. Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and the bourbon. Taste to make sure the sauce has a thick consistency, a sufficiently sweet taste, and a good bourbon flavor. Cool to room temperature. To make the meringue, preheat oven to 350°. Butter six 6 ounce ramekins. First, be certain that the bowl and whisk are clean. The egg whites should be completely free of yolk, and they will whip better if the chill is off them. This dish needs a good, stiff meringue. In a large bowl or mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add the sugar gradually, and continue whipping until shiny and thick. Test with a clean spoon. If the whites stand up stiff, like shaving cream, when you pull out the spoon, the meringue is ready. Do not overwhip, or the whites will break down and the soufflé will not work. In a large bowl, break half the bread pudding into pieces using your hands or a spoon. Gently fold in one-quarter of the meringue, being careful not to lose the air in the whites. Add a portion of this base to each of the ramekins. Place the remaining bread pudding in the bowl, break into pieces, and carefully fold in the rest of the meringue. Top off the soufflés with this lighter mixture, to about 1 1/2 inches. Smooth and shape tops with spoon into a dome over the ramekin rim. Bake immediately for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately. Using a spoon, poke a hole in the top of each soufflé, at the table, and pour the room temperature whiskey sauce inside the soufflé. Note: New Orleans French bread is very light and tender. If substitute bread is used that is too dense, it will soak up all the custard and the recipe will not work. Serves 6. |
||
