This was our favorite recipe from Jack’s restaurant in Santa Fe, NM. The restaurant is no longer there but we can still enjoy Chef Paul J Niekrasz’s wonderful and rich dessert. This recipe is easy to do and is always a huge hit. (Kay Hillje)
½ lb butter 1 pint milk
3 ½ c. sugar 1 pint heavy cream
15 egg yolks 1 t. salt
2 T. cinnamon 2 T. vanilla
3 lbs sourdough bread , cut into 1 inch cubes
½ lb golden raisins
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated, then slowly add the cream and milk. Pour this mixture over the cubed bread. Add the raisins and stir about every five minutes for one hour. This will ensure even distribution of the cream-egg mixture with the bread. Pour this mixture into a high-sided 12 “X 9” baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap the bread pudding and bake in a water bath until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours). *If cutting recipe in half use 8 egg yolks and it works great!
Note: I make a cold sauce from half and half, vanilla, and splenda to pour over the warm bread pudding.