Sharon's Bread Pudding with Vanilla Bean Sauce

7 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 C. sugar
Mix together in medium size bowl until sugar is dissolved. Do not whip.

The amount of eggs and cream in this bread pudding
cooked in a water bath make it taste a lot more like creme brulee

3C. Half and half
1 C. heavy cream
Add slowly until both are well blended.

5 slices toasted white bread.
1/4 C. granulated sugar
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 C. packed raisins
Mix together in small bowl.

Sauce:
3 egg yolks              1/2 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. sugar             1 C. half & half                                      1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Lay white bread in deep-dish pan (about 9 x 13) and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on top, along with raisins. Pour liquid mixture on top of bread, pushing bread down when it begins to float. Soak bread will. Cover pan with foil. Place on sheet pan filled with water in a preheated 320 oven for 1 hour at least, maybe longer, until pudding is firm on top and no liquid is showing. Take out of the oven; remove foil from pan. Let cool and serve. \

Sauce: Combine half &half, heavy cream and vanilla bean or vanilla extract in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk yolks and sugar until combined. Once cream has boiled, pour 1 C. of the hot liquid into the yolk and sugar mixture. Bring remaining cream to a boil. Once the cream is boiling, whisk yolk, sugar and cream mixture into the boiling cream.  Cook on low heat until sauce can coat the back of the spoon. Strain (if using vanilla bean), cool and serve.

*May be stored in refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheated once, but will not be as good after that or if reheated more than once.

The picture on this page is not accurate