For the holidays, I find a lot of joy in cooking for other people. During most of the year, I’m cooking dinner for just myself and my husband, so there’s not a lot of opportunities to take on decadent desserts, cooking for a crowd or trying out new recipes. When the holiday’s come around, I pack in as much specialty baking and bigger projects as I can!
It is so enjoyable to share a home-cooked meal with friends and family. I of course love the preparation and the cooking, but the time spent sitting around a table with folks sharing a meal is absolutely special. I you have time this holiday season to share a meal and a table with loved ones, creating memories and special moments!
This recipe is a perfect dessert to end your holiday meal: Eggnog Bread Pudding! This custardy, festive dessert is the most excellent combination of what makes eggnog and bread pudding so great. Why not spice bread pudding up with nutmeg, cinnamon and rum flavors from eggnog?
Eggnog Bread Pudding
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus additional for garnish, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Brioche loaf (about 16 ounces), cubed and dried overnight
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
water
Prepare 9-by-9-inch baking dish by greasing with softened butter. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In small saucepot, gently heat milk and half-and-half, stirring periodically. When steaming, turn off heat and stir in nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. Set aside to steep and cool, 5-10 minutes.
In large bowl, whisk eggs and egg yolk thoroughly 5-7 minutes, or until lighter color.
Slowly add sugar while whisking, 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and salt.
Once milk mixture has cooled slightly, slowly stream into egg mixture while whisking without scrambling egg!
Add cubed brioche to egg and milk mixture; gently mix to incorporate. Let sit 30 minutes. Add and gently mix.
Pour mixture into prepped baking dish and set dish on rimmed baking sheet. Add enough water to baking sheet to cover sheet and bake 35 minutes.
Remove baking dish from baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until puffed and just starting to brown on top.
Let bread pudding cool slightly. Before serving, dust with additional ground nutmeg.
Hi! I am Claire Jaspers of ClairesTable.com and @Claires.Table on Instagram. I started my cooking and food Instagram a few years ago as I began diving into food and challenging myself to weekend baking. In my free time, you can usually find me flipping through food magazines and cookbooks and listening to the latest foodie podcast, in addition to exploring all the culinary corners Kansas City has to offer.
At Claire’s Table, I share tips and recipes (and those baking challenges) to inspire and empower others to learn and cook in their own kitchens and love it as much as I do! I hope you enjoy this recipe and come over to ClairesTable.com for more!