Praline Bread Pudding~Emeril Lagasse

Praline Bread Pudding~Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
4 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
6 cups 1/2-inch day-old bread cubes
2 cups crumbled pralines, recipe follows
2 cups Anglaise Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin tins with the butter.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla together. Whisk in the cream and milk. Fold in the bread and pralines. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Spoon the filling into each muffin tin. Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the center is firm. Serve the pudding with the Anglaise sauce.
Pralines:

1/2 pound light brown sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
Pinch salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix sugar, salt, evaporated milk, and butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Stir in pecans and cook over medium heat until mixture reaches the soft ball stage. (234 to 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer; if you spoon a drop of boiling syrup into a cup of ice water, it will form a soft ball that flattens easily between your fingers.)

Remove pan from heat and stir rapidly until mixture thickens. Drop pralines by teaspoonfuls, 1-inch apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets; let cool completely until firmed up. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: about 1 dozen

Anglaise Sauce:

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
5 egg yolks

In a saucepan, over high heat, whisk the cream together with the sugar and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. In a bowl beat the egg yolks until thick and frothy. Temper the egg yolks by stirring just 1/4 cup of the sauce into the yolks, until incorporated. Turn the egg yolk mixture into the sauce and stir until thoroughly blended. Return the saucepan to low heat and cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. Remove from the heat. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups