Matilda, here's a bread pudding recipe that I created a decade or so past, consciously designed with orange and brown-sugar flavors and brown spices (and some bourbon, of course!) to accompany an excellent Tokaji. I'm not at all a dessert cook, so I was pleasantly surprised both by the dessert and by the success of the pairing.
If "half-and-half" isn't an Oz thing, it's a light cream, purportedly a mix of half milk and half heavy cream.
INGREDIENTS: (Serves four, or two with leftovers)
For the pudding:
1/4 cup (60g) golden raisins
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
2 tablespoons Bourbon
1 small baguette or French or Italian bread, enough to make about 2 cups when cut into small cubes
2 eggs
3/4 cup (180ml) half-and-half or whole milk
1/4 cup (60g) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon (5g) cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Butter for greasing baking dish
For the caramel sauce:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
Finely grated zest of 1 small orange
PROCEDURE:
1. Plump the raisins by soaking them in the Grand Marnier and Bourbon for about a half-hour. Drain, but don't discard the liquid.
2. While the raisins are macerating, cut the bread into smallish cubes a bit larger than 1/2-inch (2 cm) square. There's no need to remove the crust, which will add interesting texture to the pudding.
3. Break the eggs into the blender (or stick blender container) and blend them on high speed until they're very smooth and lemony yellow. Blend in 1/2 cup of the milk or half-and-half (a commercial blend of milk and light cream), the vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and the liquid reserved from soaking the raisins.
4. Put the bread cubes and raisins in a bowl and stir in the egg mix. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
5. Toward the end of the hour, preheat your oven to 350F (175C). Stir the remaining 1/4 cup of milk or half-and-half into the bread mix. Grease a small baking dish (5-by-7-by-2-inch or similar) with a little butter, and put in the bread mix. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is well browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. While the pudding is baking, make a simple caramel sauce. Heat the half-and-half almost to the boil (I simply stick it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds). Put the sugar in a small nonstick skillet and stir in the vanilla extract. Put it over medium-high heat and caramelize it, watching carefully. It may seem that nothing is happening at first, but the sugar will gradually begin to "sweat" and will then suddenly melt into a thick, clear liquid. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon, taking care not to splatter yourself (this stuff is as hot as napalm) and being prepared to lift the pan off heat if the sugar darkens too quickly. At some point it will turn yellow, then brown. As soon as it reaches a dark golden-brown color (but not black), remove it from the heat and, pouring gradually, stir in the hot half-and-half. At this point, you can put it back over very low heat and continue stirring, watching out for boilovers, until it's well blended and thick. (This may seem like a finicky or even scary process if you don't do it any more often than I do, but persevere ... the result is worth the effort.) When the sauce is blended, put it in a small bowl or pyrex measuring cup and cool it in the refrigerator. Stir in the Grand Marnier just before serving.
7. Let the bread pudding cool a little before serving. It may be served hot, but I like it after it has cooled to warm room temperature, allowing the flavors to blend. Slice or spoon out individual servings, topping each with a dollop of the caramel sauce. And whipped cream if you like ... we didn't bother, and it's really not needed for the dessert-wine match.
