Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Pudding with Caramel Brandy Sauce

A really delicious dessert to be eaten warm, it has a crusty top, filled with cinnamon-raisin bread, which has been made ourselves, then it has a perfectly sweet custard, made with brown sugar and cinnamon and filled with juicy, plump raisins. The dessert is served with a warm caramel-brandy sauce. It has been baked in a water bath, which makes the custard nice and smooth, and topped with a cinnamon-butter streusel, which gives it the nice crusty top. Try it.

First make the cinnamon-raisin bread (recipe was posted on this blog on february 1st).
Take 2 1/2C of the bread, about 3-4 slices, depending on thickness, and cut them in to cubes.

Custard:

In a large bowl put:
1/2C dark brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2C whole milk
1/2C heavy cream
2t vanilla extract
1t ground cinnamon
1/4t ground nutmeg

Whisk everything well until combined, then put the bread in to the custard mix, stir, let it soak in for 10-20 minutes.
Then add 1/4C raisins.

Cinnamon-butter streusel:

In a small bowl add:
1/2 stick cold butter, cut in to small cubes
1/8C dark brown sugar
1/4C all purpose flour
1t vanilla extract
1/4t ground cinnamon
pinch of salt.
Mix together with your hands until crumbly and flakey.

Grease a 9x9" dish, pour the bread-custard mixture into the dish, sprinkle the streusel on top.
Then place that dish in to a larger dish that can contain 1/2" of cold water. heat the oven to 300F.

Place aluminum foil over the large dish and place it in the oven starting at 60 minutes. Take off the foil, turn up the oven to 350F for 10 minutes to brown the top a little. When you jiggle the small dish you want it to move as one, if the center jiggles more, continue baking in 10 minute intervals. You want it to jiggle a little though, rather than not move at all, then the custard will end up being too stiff.

Caramel-brandy sauce:

In a medium saucepan put:
75g light corn syrup
150g sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, scraped out, then drop the shell in too.
Pour over this enough water to cover everything, make sure all the sugar is wet.
Place it on the stove on high heat. Cook until the sugar starts to brown a medium amber color, this will take about 8-10 minutes, turn the heat on low to not let it get too dark, or it will taste burnt.
Add 1C heavy cream slowly, it will bubble and steam a lot, let the heat dissolve the caramel and stir constantly.

When the amount of bubbles have gone down add 50g salted butter , stir, then add 1/8C brandy. Stir. Cool a little, then pour some over warm the bread pudding when serving. Enjoy.