Orange Marmalade Bread Pudding with a Wee bit of Whiskey

Orange Marmalade and Whiskey are a happy Marriage of flavors

Bread pudding was always a staple in our home, growing up on our family farm in Ireland. The colder Irish climate makes us crave warm comforting desserts to fill the heart and tummy in dark winter nights. My mother used to make a lighter version for our family when making a weeknight dessert, substituting milk for heavy cream, adding raisins and using a lighter white bread. My mother really didn’t serve us ‘whiskey sauce’ as kids, but she would have had a jug of light cream or whole milk and we would have poured that over our bread pudding. It was all wholesome, simple food that brings back so many memories of life in Ireland and my family.

Dessert is not something I enjoy on week nights with my family; but when I create a dessert it’s always a celebration of some kind, or at least a weekend treat. We are only getting close to those Burns night suppers, so I have created a more a decadent version worthy of a celebration meal. I am skipping the January calorie conscious count and made this pudding with sliced brioche bread, that makes the pudding more custardy and super rich. Orange Marmalade always pairs well with Irish Whiskey (or Scotch Whisky) and adds a citrus tang to an old Irish favorite dessert.. I hope you enjoy and make time to celebrate this January because life short -and sometimes we got to eat dessert first!

Here is the recipe that makes a large pan to serve 8 to 10 people…

• 1 loaf (3/4 lbs of brioche or other white bread)
• 4 Tbsp of unsalted butter
• 12 large eggs (beaten)
• 4 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups of whole milk
• 2 cups of sugar
• ½ cup of orange marmalade
• (Irish Whiskey Sauce)
• 8 oz of butter
• ¾ cup of fine granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup Irish Whiskey (or Scotch Whisky)

How to make it

1. Grease a 13×9 pan with 1 Tbsp of the room temperature butter. Cut the sliced loafs in triangles and arrange in a single layer in pan.
2. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, milk and cream and pour half the custard over the bread.  Repeat with one layer of sliced bread triangles and pour over the remaining custard mixture pressing down with your hands to absorb the liquid.  Cover and set aside to soak for at 1 ½ to 2 hours before baking (or leave overnight in the fridge).
3. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
4. Dot the remaining 3 Tbsp of butter over the top of the soaked bread pudding.
5. Bake the pudding for one hour until the pudding has risen and the custard has set. Heat the orange marmalade and brush over the top of the pudding using a pastry brush.
6. For a caramelized top switch, the broiler to high and allow the pudding to brown a little on the top for 2 minutes.
7. To make the custard sauce heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan until simmering and remove from the heat.
8. To make the whiskey sauce melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar until it has melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly and whisk the egg.  Slowly add the melted butter and sugar into the egg yolk to gently temper until it is fully incorporated.    Transfer the liquid back to the small saucepan and cook on medium low stirring all the time until the sauce comes to a low simmer.  Strain into a jug and then add the whiskey.
9. To serve the pudding cut and slice while still warm and pour over a whiskey sauce.

Enjoy the Journey!

Shamrock and Peach

New Year with a Dublin Lawyer

Happy New Year everyone, and yes I know I grabbed your attention with that headline, right? – Fear not though, I’m not about to advocate for Irish lawyers everywhere, but instead start the new year with a fabulous seafood recipe called ‘Dublin Lawyer’ which is really a lobster dish with an incredible Irish Whiskey cream sauce, so read on…

We started our journey as fresh faced Irish immigrants in Boston over 20 years ago, and during those heady days we had the chance to enjoy several weekend getaways in Maine. I will never forget those New England dinners when we feasted on the freshest of fisherman’s catches of simply boiled lobster, dipped in golden butter. Lobster is certainly the most decadent meat of choice for anyone and worthy of special occasions and this recipe will give it the Irish spin it deserves.

This recipe was created using frozen lobster tails imported directly from Maine to Atlanta, Georgia and as I mentioned above, we are  serving the grilled lobster tails with a decadent Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce we call “the Dublin Lawyer” in Ireland.  The name is supposed derived from the lawyers who are ‘rich’-  and enjoy ‘a wee dram of whiskey’ –  just like this sauce!

Here’s my easy grilled version

(recipe serves 2- 4 people)

• 4 (7 oz cold water lobster tails) thawed from frozen
• 4 slices of rustic sour dough bread (for sopping)
• (garlic butter)
• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• ¼ tsp of salt and freshly ground black pepper
• (whiskey cream sauce)
• 1 Tbsp of butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• 4 Tbsp of Irish whiskey
• 5 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs finely chopped chives

How to make it

1. Preheat grill to medium high heat.
2. To prepare the lobster for grilling using kitchen scissors cut through the back of the lobster tails lengthwise, stopping when the tail fin has been reached. Using a knife cut the lobster tails down the line cut with scissors to expose the lobster for more even cooking.
3. Brush the lobster generously with the garlic butter. Place the lobster meat side down first and grill for around 4-5 minutes base with more lemon garlic butter and turn them over to cook for another 4 minutes.  The flesh will be white and pink and firm to the touch when ready.
4. Brush the sourdough bread with the garlic butter and place on the grill to toast and lightly char.
5. To make the Dublin Lawyer sauce heat the butter until foaming in a skillet over medium high heat and add the garlic. Add the whiskey to the pan (tilting it towards the flame to ignite).  Once the flames have died add the cream and allow it to reduce for a few minutes cooking until the sauce begins to slightly thicken.  Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and stir.
6. To serve place the lobster tail in a bowl, pour the sauce over the cooked lobster tails and serve with a piece of sourdough toast for sopping.

Enjoy, and start the year as a Dublin lawyer, why not! ….  Judith (Shamrock and Peach)