Mam Papaul's Bread Pudding With Rum Sauce

New Orleans Style. A product of certified Louisiana. The original New Orleans Style Entrees since 1972. Known as the poor man's pudding, Bread Pudding's origins can be traced as far back as ancient Rome and Egypt where budget conscious cooks looked for ways to put leftover bread to good use rather than letting it go to waste. Today, Bread Pudding is often made using raisins or pecans and topped with a sweet Rum or Bourbon sauce. It has gained a reputation for being a true comfort food and is often a featured dessert item in many of New Orleans most famous restaurants - Nancy Wilson, Founder, Mam Papaul's.

As an alternative to the more traditional raisins or pecans try one or combination of the variations noted below to jazz up your Mam Papaul's Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce. For Bread Pudding You'll Need: 8 oz cubed fresh or stale bread (7-8 cups); 3 cups of milk; 2 large eggs; 6 tbsp butter or margarine (melted). For Rum Sauce You'll Need: 1/3 cup of milk; 6 tbsp butter or margarine (melted). (See optional ingredients in variations below). Bread Pudding Cooking: 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2: In a large mixing bowl using a wire whisk or electric mixer, combine Mam Papaul's New Orleans Style Bread Pudding mix with 3 cups milk, 6 tbsp melted butter, and 2 large eggs. 3: Fold cubed bread into the mixture. Mixture should be very moist but not soupy. Optional - Add any one of variations listed below and fold into the mixture during this step. 4: Coat an 8x8x2 inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray and pour in prepared mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until nicely browned on top. (Oven temperatures may vary). Serve warm topped with rum sauce. Rum Sauce Cooking: 1: Place Mam Papaul's Rum Sauce mix, 6 tbsp of butter or margarine and 1/3 cup milk in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook on low until butter has melted. Stir well. 2: Bring mixture to a boil on med high heat. 3: Reduce heat to low and cook 5 minutes. 4: Serve Rum Sauce over warm Bread Pudding. Variations: 1/3 cup raisins - 1/3 cup semisweet or chocolate chips - 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or blackberries - 1/3 cup shredded coconut - 1/3 cup dried cranberries. 2 medium bananas - mashed - 2/3 cup dried apricots - halved - 1/3 cup pecans - chopped 1/2 cup cubed pineapple. Makes approximately 8 servings.

Ingredients Sugar, Natural and Artificial Vanilla Flavor, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Natural and Artificial Rum Flavor, Salt, FD&C Yellow 5.