Fat Tuesday Dessert: Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Caramel Sauce

I feel like my new knowledge is dangerous for my waistline. That knowledge is: I had everything I needed to make this dessert and didn't know it. Well, now I know. I can make bread pudding and caramel sauce pretty much any time I please. I sort of wish it had been more difficult to make...maybe that would deter me.

Alas, it was Fat Tuesday and I decided Brent and I needed to celebrate. So I added bourbon to a pasta dish, aptly named it Bourbon Street Salmon Pasta, and then created one of the tastiest desserts ever! This made enough (well a little more than enough) for the two of us. We also had leftover sauce...I've decreased the amount in my version below.

Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Caramel Sauce
3 1/2 slices stale French bread
1 1/2 Tbsp melted margarine
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sauce:
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp margarine
1 Tbsp Grand Marnier

Tear bread into bite-sized cubes and place in shallow baking dish and drizzle with melted margarine. In a bowl, mix together the remaining pudding ingredients. Pour over bread and press down to make sure each piece is soaking. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, until bread springs back and no longer looks "eggy."

In small sauce pan, heat sauce ingredients, stirring occasionally.

Top bread pudding with sauce and whipped cream.

Next time I'll put less sauce on our portions, but as I said, I made too much this time. I'll also add pecans to the bread pudding. I know many people like raisins, but Brent doesn't like them, so I'll pass on that addition.

Side note: If you don't stale bread, simply put the torn pieces into a 250 degree F oven for about 10 minutes. That should dry them out enough to soak up all the pudding.