BREAD PUDDING WITH SPICED RUM CREME ANGLAISE RECIPE - (4.3/5)

Steps:

• Cut bread into 1″ pieces and allow to stale overnight. Place raisins with rum in a small bowl. Toss to coat, cover and allow to hydrate for at least one hour or overnight. Position rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350º F. Lightly grease a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish. Drain the raisins and reserve the liquor for creme anglaise. Pour milk in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl heat butter in microwave until liquid, do not overheat. Add butter to milk to cool it. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix well to combine. Add bread cubes and toss to coat, allowing mixture to stand for about 15 minutes for bread to absorb liquid. Stir a couple of times to make sure everything gets soaked. While bread cubes are soaking up the milk and egg mixture, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and pecans to create a crumble. Pour soaked bread into prepared casserole dish, spreading evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle brown sugar and pecan mixture evenly over the dish. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set. Remove from oven. To prepare the Spiced Rum Creme Anglaise: Separate eggs, place yolks in medium-sized bowl. Heat cream and sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds. Add pod and seeds to the cream and continue to heat until cream begins to simmer around the sides of the pan, about 145º F. SLOWLY stream about half of the cream into the egg yolks, constantly whisking. It is very important to add the eggs slowly to avoid making scrambled eggs. Once the eggs are tempered add the remaining cream. Strain the egg and cream mixture back into the sauce pan to remove pods and seeds. Heat again stirring constantly over medium heat until cream is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in reserved rum. Refrigerate unused creme. Serve warm or cold over bread pudding. If you are making the creme anglaise ahead of time and wish to serve it warm, re-heat in a sauce pan over medium low heat (you will get scrambled eggs in the micro).