Christmas Egg Nog Bread Pudding

Ristorante a Mano,
1477 Lower Water Street

When inspiration strikes it’s best not to ignore it, Ristorante a Mano’s chef Jeff Rideout knows this. It was thanks to couple of rum and egg nogs and a well-timed gift of a pannetone cake—an Italian Christmas tradition—that an iteration of this dish was born. His at-home version re-imagined some of his leftover cocktails and the seasonal sweet bread for a noggy holiday dessert—an improvisational serving of comfort and joy—while a Mano’s super-popular menu item, Budino di Pane, uses brioche instead of pannetone. Lucky for you, this recipe is a play on both.

Ingredients

2 loaves brioche, sliced
6 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
4 oz amber rum
1L 10% cream
1L 3.25% milk
1 oz Butterscotch Rum Sauce (see recipe below)

Rum Sauce
4 oz unsalted butter
8 oz brown sugar
1 cup cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp amber rum
Pinch of salt
Small squeeze of lemon juice

Directions

Slice brioche; brush with butter and bake at 350°F until golden brown on both sides.

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt. Whip until mixture doubles in size and becomes pale yellow. Add amber rum, milk and cream. Whisk to combine.

Butter and sugar a deep baking dish. Add pieces of toasted brioche to the liquid mixture. Combine together by hand. Add mixture to baking dish.

Add butterscotch rum sauce over the top and swirl in.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350°F. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Drizzle lightly with more butterscotch sauce while still warm.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and an additional drizzle of butterscotch rum sauce.

Rum Sauce
Melt butter. Add brown sugar and stir until melted and foamy. Add the cream—mix will bubble! Simmer for about five minutes. Finish with vanilla, amber rum, salt and lemon juice.