Whiskey Pudding

This easy and delicious dessert came to us from New Orleans by way of our friends Bob and Judy. The basic bread pudding recipe works for a simple trifle (hold the whiskey sauce and add berries and whipped cream). Strictly speaking, a trifle should be made with cut up leftover cake (if you ever have such a thing!) mixed with pudding and topped with berries and whipped cream.

Bread pudding: 1 loaf of bread 2 eggs 2/3 cup sugar 3 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla Sauce: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter splash of whiskey or brandy

Tear up the bread. Any kind will do, but a combination of french bread and whole wheat is best. Stir in the eggs and sugar. Substitute brown sugar if you like, and you may find that you like less sugar than the recipe calls for. Bake the mixture in a greased dish until it is moderately firm and lightly brown on top. For the sauce, heat the butter and sugar until smooth and thoroughly dissolved. Remove from heat and add whiskey or brandy to taste. The truly depraved top this one with whipped cream.