Chunky Chocolate Bread Pudding w/White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

Chunky Chocolate Bread Pudding

• 1  loaf of day-old French bread
• 3 1/2  cups  milk (I use 2%)
• 1  cup  half-and-half (I use fat-free half-and-half)
• 4  large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1  cup  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 1  tablespoon  vanilla extract
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 2  (4-ounce) bittersweet chocolate bars

Tear French bread into small pieces and place them in a large bowl.

Combine milk and half-and-half in a bowl and stir into bread. Let the mixture stand 10 minutes.

In another bowl, blend eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt.

Add to bread and milk, stirring well.

Chop chocolate bars into chunks.

Add to mixture and stir to combine.

Spoon into a lightly greased 13″ x 9″ pan. Bake, uncovered, for 55 minutes at 325° or until firm and lightly browned.

Cool up to one hour. Serve warm with White Chocolate Brandy Sauce.

(Adapted from Southern Living, MAY 2001)

White Chocolate Brandy Sauce

• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  butter or margarine
• 1/2  cup  half-and-half (I use fat-free)
• 1  (4-ounce) white chocolate bar
• 3  tablespoons  brandy

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

Chop white chocolate bar into chunks and add to saucepan. Stir until melted. Add brandy, stir well, and serve over bread pudding.

I think an extreme close-up is in order.

That’s weird. I somehow missed a crumb …