Bread Pudding with Pralines and Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Bread Pudding with Pralines and Bourbon-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Emeril's Bread Pudding, Paula's pralines and my bourbon-vanilla bean ice cream...my homage to the great state of Louisiana during this week of Mardi Gras celebrations and religious observances.  Enjoy!

Recipe: New Orleans Style Bread Pudding

Emeril Lagasse, "Emeril's Potluck"

HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2004

Serves: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

* 12 to 14 cups 1-inch cubes day-old white bread, such as French or Italian

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

* 2 cups heavy cream

* 4 cups whole milk

* 6 large eggs

* 1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

* 4 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in a large bowl. Grease a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside. Combine the heavy cream, milk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to mix. Pour the cream mixture over the bread, and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

Transfer the bread mixture to the casserole dish and bake until the center of the bread pudding is set, 50 to 60 minutes.

Garnish the bread pudding with confectioners' sugar and serve warm with warm.

Recipe: Pralines

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups sugar

* 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

* 1/8 teaspoon salt

* 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup

* 1 cup evaporated milk

* 2 tablespoons butter

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 2 cups pecan pieces or halves

Directions

Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Place the sugar, salt, and corn syrup,

milk, and butter in saucepan. Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly with a

wooden spoon until sugars have dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Continue to

cook to a soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (238 degrees F). Add pecans. Continue cooking until hardball stage (245 degrees F).

Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Beat with a spoon by hand for approximately 2 minutes

or until candy is slightly thick and begins to lose its gloss. Quickly drop heaping

tablespoons onto waxed paper. If the candy becomes stiff, add a few drops of hot

water.

Recipe: Vanilla Bean-Bourbon Ice Cream

Adapted From Ina Garten

"Barefoot Contessa Parties!"; 2001

Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients

* 2 cups half-and-half and 1 cup heavy cream

* 2/3 cups sugar

* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

* 2-4 tablespoons bourbon, to taste

Directions

Heat the cream, sugar, vanilla, and vanilla seeds in a small saucepan only until the

sugar is dissolved. Be sure the sugar is dissolved - you will no longer feel any

grittiness from the sugar if you rub some cream between your fingers. Strain into a

bowl, cover, and chill very well. Add the Armagnac and freeze the mixture in an ice

cream freezer according to the manufacturer's directions. Spoon into a freezer

container and allow to chill in the freezer for a few hours before serving.