LATIN BREAD PUDDING

Background:

If you know about my background, you know that I am married to a wonderful man from Ireland. My husband was brought up on a dairy farm in Co. Cork, Ireland; where they grew their own vegetables and ate plenty of beef and potatoes. His Mother is a superb cook and would prepare his favorite dessert, a wonderful Bread Pudding. Wishing to pay homage to the Emerald Isle having St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, but staying true to my own Latin roots, I have created this Latin Bread Pudding. It is a combination of my Mother-in-law’s recipe and bread pudding found in the Latin Islands of the Caribbean.

Ingredients:

• 15                    Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Dinner Rolls
• 1 cup               Raisins
• 1 ¼ cup           Butter, softened
• 4                      Eggs
• 1 tbs                Vanilla
• 1 tsp                Cinnamon Powder
• 1 tbs                Tropical Juice. I used Pineapple juice.
• 1 can                Sweetened Condensed milk
• 1 can                Evaporated milk
• 1½  cup           Brown Sugar
• ½ cup              Coconut milk

Directions:

Before we begin, you will need to place your rolls on a sprayed baking pan and cover it with sprayed wrap. Let it rise.

Place your raisins in a small bowl and add water until the raisins are covered. Let them sit for at least an hour.

When your rolls are ready to bake, proceed to bake them by following the directions on the package. Bake until browned. When they are done, set them aside and fight the urge to eat them on the spot. You will need them to be cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine eggs, juice, 1 cup of butter, cinnamon, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and ½ cup of brown sugar. Blend them until combined well. Drain soaking raisins and add ¼ cup of raisins into the mixture.

Once the rolls are cool, cut them into small pieces and place them in a bowl.

Add the coconut milk to moisten. Make sure all of the bread has had coconut milk. I mixed it with my hands to make sure all the bread is moistened. Set aside.

Take a casserole pan and spray it with non-stick cooking spray, preferably butter flavor.  Set aside.

In a small sauce pan heat ¼ cup of butter on low heat. Now add 1 cup of brown sugar turn heat to medium and stir. Continue stirring until sugar is well melted. Remember, your mixture is going to cook longer in the oven so stir until well melted. It will have the consistency of melted chocolate. Make sure you do not burn the sugar.

Place the melted mixture in the casserole pan making sure that the entire bottom of the pan is covered with mixture. I found it clumped until it started to cool and then I was able to spread it over the entire pan bottom.

Now sprinkle the remaining raisins in the pan over the melted mixture.

Add your bread soaked in coconut milk into the large bowl with the egg mixture. Stir so that all is moistened and wet.

Pour the mixture into the pan over the sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

It should look like this and have a clean knife come out through the center. The edges will also be browned and bubbly with the sugar mixture.

Serve bottom side up so as to see your nice caramel.

Grade:

Since this was a recipe for St. Paddy’s Day, I had my husband try it out. He loved it and gave it a grade of 9 out of 10. I am sure you will enjoy this recipe as I still haven’t been able to get him to stop eating it :)