Irish Cream Bread Pudding with Guinness caramel.

This was a really good dessert for our recent St. Patrick's day dinner.

Irish Cream Bread Pudding.

1 loaf bread (I used challah)

1 cup Irish Cream liquor
1/2 cup raisins

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons butter, softened

4 large eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pinch salt

Cut about 1/2 to 3/4 of the bread in to 1" cubes, you want enough to fill the loaf pan you'll be using.  Dry in a 170F oven for a few hours or let sit out overnight.

Add the raising to the Irish cream liquor and allow to sit overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Grease a loaf pan with the 2 tablespoons of butter.  Prepare a water bath for the load pan.

Bring the milk to a simmer.

Beat the eggs with the sugars, vanilla, nutmeg and salt, slowly whisk in the hot milk.  Add the Irish cream and raisins and mix in.  Pour the custard mix over the dry bread cubes and gently mix until adsorbed.  Press the soaked bread mixture in to the buttered loaf pan.  Bake the bread pudding in a water bath for 50-60 minutes.  Can be served warm or cold.

Guinness Caramel.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon)
1 pinch salt
1/2 - 3/4 cup Guinness draught (allow to go flat or be prepared to deal with boil-over)
2 tablespoons butter

Add the sugar, salt, lime (or lemon) juice and water to a saucepan and cook over medium flame until the sugar has caramelized.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Slowly whisk in the Guinness, there will be a lot of steam and sputtering so be careful.  Once the bubbling has died down whisk in the butter.  The caramel will thicken as it cools, if it is too thick heat it us and add more beer (or cream if you prefer).