By the Book: Donut Bread Pudding with Tennessee Whiskey Sauce

I've previously confessed my love of custards and their bread pudding brethren. Let's take that adoration up a level by swapping the bread in the bread pudding for donuts.  Oh, and let's add some Tennessee whiskey. Because if we're going for excess, let's go all the way, baby!


Donut Bread Pudding with Tennessee Whiskey Sauce
From The Boozy Baker by Lucy Baker
Makes one 8x8 pan

This is one of the cookbooks I've been repeatedly returning to for delicious baked goods. Plus I was very tempted by the over-the-top-ness of having a donut bread pudding.  I mean, bread pudding is rich already...and I'm making it even more rich? Heck, yeah!

A bread pudding made of donuts, drizzled with
a sauce made from Tennessee whiskey

Ingredients:
For the bread pudding:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 store bought plain cake donuts
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
2 1/4 cups heavy cream or whole milk
1/4 cup Tennessee whiskey
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the sauce:
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. Tennessee whiskey
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Preparation:
For the bread pudding:
Butter a 9x9 baking pan. Tear the donuts into 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks and add them to the pan.

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Add the eggs and whisk until blended. Add the heavy cream/whole milk, whiskey, and vanilla; whisky until blended.  Pour the egg mixture over the donuts, pressing down gently on the donuts so they they are entirely submerged. Allow the pudding to stand at room temperature for 1 hour or cover and refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cover the pan with a piece of aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the custart is set but soft.

For the sauce:
Combine cornstarch and whiskey in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.  In a small saucepan, combine the cream and sugar over high heat, whisking constantly, about 2-3 minutes or until small bubbles begin to form.  Continue to whisk and add the cornstarch-whiskey mixture.  It will bubble vigorously for a moment, but continue whisking until the sauce is blended and thick. Avoid boiling the sauce, as this will negate the thickening effect of the cornstarch.

To serve, scoop the bread pudding--either hot or cold--into a small bowl. Top with warmed whiskey sauce and enjoy!

Note:
Store the pudding and sauce in the refrigerator. You can warm either up in the microwave, if desired.  Just use short increments (20-30 second intervals) and stir the sauce after each increment. Personally, the pudding is delicious cold and warmed sauce will contrast nicely.

Donuts soaking up the custard before cooking

Just out of the oven, golden brown

Don't let it's plain look deceive you.
This whiskey sauce packs quite a potent punch.
Especially if, like me, you're heavy-handed with the whiskey.

Time Warp

You know how some people have a theme for the month, like a lot of guys have a month where they don't shave their facial hair -- No Shave November or October Mustache Month.  Well, I apparently had No Blog November.  I wasn't aware of this fact until I looked at the calender, saw it was December (already???), and realized November had flown by.  It didn't feel like it was flying at the time, but it never does.  It only seems like it zipped past when viewed retrospectively.  Still, I think November moved along with a wee bit more speed than a month usually does.

This November, I...
(get ready, it's a list!!! yay!)

• Was bursting with pride when the new store space for Runners Plus & Soccer Plus officially opened on November 1st!!!!  The stores moved into a new space that was bigger and that they remodeled to their specifications. It looks amazing and I know how much hard work was put into this massive project, because Eric had some very late nights during the move. I'm so proud of Eric and the store and I'm so happy for them. If you're in town, you have to check it out. If you're not in town, check out their Facebook page. 

• Attended another science conference, this time in Cleveland and with more of my coworkers. To me, the highlight of the trip were our two dinners.  The first night we went to Michael Symon's B Spot Burgers, and I went bananas over the pickle bar (!) and fell in love with three of the six house sauces. They also had an entire wall covered in retro beer cans--including several brands I'd never heard of--making the logo of the restaurant. The second night, several of us students went to a fancy French restaurant.  While it was obvious we were not the typical clientele, the food was incredible! 

• Took a road trip with my guys to see two of our friends in Indiana.  We've been wanting to make this trip for over a year and it finally became reality. And it was awesome!  I wouldn't expect anything else from a visit with Jac and DB.

• Went on another road trip with Eric to Tennessee, where I attended my very first Tennessee football game! I'd believed it to be my first D-I collegiate football game, but I was wrong. I have a very hazy memory of attending a Notre Dame - Michigan football game in South Bend when I was a wee tyke. I can't recall any of the game, but I clearly remember being enamored and impressed with the incredibly cool football shaped menus at whatever restaurant we went to.  They even wrote the score of the game on the menu! Oooooo, right?  

• Discovered Trader Joe's Apple Cider. It's perfect. Go try some.

• Had two Thanksgiving dinners in one day...and didn't get sick from it. That's an accomplishment if I've ever heard one!  It probably helped that I ran the Turkey Trot race that morning, to make room for all that deliciousness.

• Re-discovered and most likely enhanced my love of drinking champagne. Kayleigh tried a new drink recipe (I believe we're renewing our weekly make-a-drink ritual, which is quite fun) that featured champagne. Now we're hooked. Here's the recipe (from Wegman's):
• Put about a cup or so of washed cranberries on a baking sheet. Sprinkle ground clove on top (about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp) and roll the cranberries around to coat.  Put in a 450 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
• While the cranberries are cooking, make a simple syrup on the stove. In a small saucepan, combine equal amounts of sugar and water (I used 1 cup each).  Over low to medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves, then turn off heat. Avoid high heat or prolonged cooking, so you don't make caramel!  The end product should still be clear, with no visible sugar granules.
• When the cranberries are done cooking, put them directly into the simple syrup. Let them steep for at least 15 minutes (that's how long we waited) and up to an hour. The syrup will turn a lovely pink color.
• Ladle some of the simple syrup plus a few cranberries into the bottom of a class. Top with chilled champagne. Careful, it fizzes like crazy, so we added champagne in increments and held it over the sink.
• Cheers! 

• Helped host a dinner party in honor of my mom's birthday. We had a scrumptious Italian feast, with an antipasti plate, two pastas, salad, garlic bread, and chianti. And don't forget the desserts! Leftover Thanksgiving pies (I loved the elderberry, from a family friend's bakery in Columbus. My first taste of elderberry and it was glorious!), plus a flourless chocolate cake made with 70% chocolate. It was served with raspberry sauce (a la Ina Garten) and three ice creams (pistachio, vanilla, and Jeni's Queen City Cayenne).  My contributions to the party were a from-scratch marinara (using Mario Batali's Basic Sauce recipe plus some red pepper flakes), compound butter for the garlic bread (hot damn, garlicky!), the flourless chocolate cake and the raspberry sauce. I had so much fun working with my aunt and uncle to prepare this dinner and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. This underlines the fact that I love dinner parties, especially relaxed ones.

• Finished my crystallography class, woohoo! Let me tell you, there is a lot of math involved in understanding how crystallography works.  Also let me tell you, Wikipedia can be awfully useful in reminding you about math concepts when you haven't taken a math class in over 10 years. Thanks, Wikipedia.

• Also finished my TRX  circuit class. After the first session, the only people who showed up to any (and to all) of the other classes were the instructor, myself, and the only other girl in the class.  Even though it kicked my out of shape butt, I had a blast and plan to sign up for at least one TRX class next quarter.  I have to admit that I'm on a TRX kick right now, so much so that I spent some time perusing their website.  I am even so crazy that I want to buy a TRX setup to use at home and I even want to take their instructional/certification classes. I'm obviously obsessed at the moment!

November, I'm sorry I didn't take the time to savor you, but I certainly had some fun!

December, I'm looking forward to all you have to offer!  Family and friends, getting into the Christmas spirit, binges of baking Christmas treats, dressing up for holiday gatherings (I promise to continue to wear my collection of leather boots at often as humanly possible on the weekends), Christmas ale/Winter ale (try Christain Morlein's Christkindl!), planning Christmas gifts to delight my loved ones (I'm seriously addicted to that), hot cocoa, hot cider, and champagne toasts!  

Happy December!!!