Eggnog Panettone Bread Pudding

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 loaf panettone, available in italian specialty stores, cut in half (enough for about 5 cups, diced)
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 cup rum
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• vanilla ice cream (optional)
• whipped cream (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 475 degrees f.
• 2 place a tea-kettle of water on to boil for a water bath. with a serrated knife, remove the side crusts from the half piece of the panettone. cut into 3/4 to 1-inch dice. you should have 5 cups. reserve the cubed panettone in a large mixing bowl.
• 3 for the eggnog custard, in another bowl thoroughly whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, half and half, rum, vanilla extract, and a healthy grating of fresh nutmeg. pour this over the bread cubes.
• 4 spray a 12 hole muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray. ladle the bread/eggnog mixture gently and evenly into the muffin tins. the big cubes sticking up look nice. place the filled muffin tin in a tall sided cookie sheet or roasting pan. transfer to the preheated oven and carefully pour the hot water from kettle onto sheet pan, creating a water bath for the muffin tin to sit inches.
• 5 bake 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are nicely browned, and a toothpick comes clean from the center.
• 6 bread pudding may be served warm or cold. vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would be great accompaniments.
• 7 alternately place the muffin tin in a roasting pan on the stove. pour in up to 1-inch of boiling water. cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes. the puddings will puff and a toothpick will come out clean from the center. the tops won't brown with this method. perhaps a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar at serving time would be nice.