Panettone Bread Pudding with Spiced Orange Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 , 12 ounce
• 3 large eggs , lightly beaten
• 0.5 cups white sugar
• 2.25 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 1 pinch salt
• 0.13 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
• 1.5 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 2.5 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into bits
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Instructions

1. 1

   Arrange panettone bread cubes to fit compactly into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Do not compress too tightly; set aside any leftover bread cubes.

2. 2

   Whisk 3 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar together until sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes light yellow in color. Pour in cream, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur; whisk to combine. Stir in pinch of salt, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, lemon zest, and orange zest: pour mixture over panettone cubes in the casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

4. 4

   Remove bread pudding from the refrigerator, uncover, and dot the top of with 2 1/2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of white sugar.

5. 5

   Set casserole dish into a shallow pan that is 2 to 3 inches larger in diameter than the casserole dish. Set these pans onto the center rack of the preheated oven. Pour hot water into the outside pan, until it reaches a depth of 1 inch around the casserole dish, creating a water bath.

6. 6

   Bake the pudding in the water bath until it is fully set and a knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. The water bath will help the pudding to cook evenly and maintain a light texture. Carefully remove the pudding from the water bath and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

7. 7

   Just before serving, make the sauce by melting 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange liqueur, 3 tablespoons water, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir and heat over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid is heated through. Remove from heat.

8. 8

   In a small mixing bowl, whisk 1 egg until well beaten. While whisking the egg, slowly pour 2 tablespoons of the hot mixture into the bowl with the egg. Then, while whisking mixture vigorously, slowly pour the warmed egg mixture back into the sauce.

9. 9

   Place the saucepan back over low heat, gently stirring the sauce and raising the temperature slowly to medium. Continue to stir until the sauce almost reaches a simmer, reducing the heat as necessary if the mixture threatens to boil. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over the bread pudding and serve immediately.