The weather is finally clearing up and I was able to make it to the store where I picked up a beautiful baguette that I used to make Martha’s Louisiana Bread Pudding from page 215.
This is a rich and decadent treat that traces back to Louisiana’s French roots and is a very popular dessert in New Orleans French Quarter. Made with drunken raisins and drenched in a creamy bourbon sauce, it fits in perfectly with the high spirited New Orleans tradition.
I always love a good baguette, but ideally, it should have been a bit more stale because the harder the bread the better it absorbs the custard. But it worked very nicely and tasted like the most indulgent french toast ever! The only change I made to Martha’s recipe was to cook off some of the alcohol from the bourbon before adding it to the creamy sauce. I prefer to burn off some of the harsh edge of the alcohol leaving only the complex flavors of the bourbon with its hints of sweetness, vanilla, warm spices and toasted pecans.
As I mentioned in my introduction to The Me n’ Martha Project, I don’t want to give away these recipes because they’re not my own and I want to encourage you to buy Martha’s American Food. But this recipe happens to be on MarthaStewart.com, and here’s the link if you want to try it for yourself — so if you love extravagant New Orleans style good eats and high spirits turn on some jazz and start cooking!
