Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Warm Caramel Sauce

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

• 1 (1 to 1 1/4 pound) pumpkin
• 3 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups dairy eggnog
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 8 to 10 ounces French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (8 cups)

Warm Caramel Sauce

• 10 vanilla caramel squares
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon rum flavoring, if desired

Instructions

Bread Pudding

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut pumpkin into quarters; remove seeds. Discard seeds or save for roasting.
3. Place pumpkin, cut side down, on a lightly greased baking pan.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until almost tender.
5. Remove peel; cut baked pumpkin into 3/4 inch pieces.
6. In a large mixing bowl stir together milk, eggnog, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice.
7. Sprinkle raisins on the bottom of an ungreased 3 quart rectangular baking dish.
8. Spread bread over raisins.
9. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread.
10. Carefully stir in cubed pumpkin.
11. Bake for 50 minutes or until the pudding is puffy and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
12. Cool pudding slightly (pudding will fall in center).
13. Drizzle with Warm Caramel Sauce.

Warm Caramel Sauce

1. In a heavy saucepan melt caramels with whipping cream over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
2. Stir in anise seed and rum flavoring, if desired.
3. Cool slightly before serving.