Eggcellent Bread Pudding

Contestant: Alison Hill

Ingredients:
12 croissants torn and dried overnight
3 ¾ cup heavy cream
4 cups milk
¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 vanilla bean
9 eggs
2 cups sugar
½ cup golden raisins
1 Tablespoon good light rum or substitute rum flavoring
1 cup water
1 jar apricot preserves

Caramel Sauce:
½ cup butter ½ cup white sugar
½ cup cream 1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup brown sugar Dried apricots for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Put raisins in a microwave safe bowl with water and rum and heat for 1 minute. Let soak for at least 30 minutes. Put cream, milk, and the vanilla bean you have sliced in half and scraped with a knife in a heavy sauce pan and heat slowly to just beginning of boiling. Take off heat and add nutmeg. Let cool a bit. Then pour through a fine strainer to remove any bits and the vanilla bean. Put eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk for about 1 minute. Add sugar and whisk. When the milk has cooled a bit add a small portion to the egg mixture and stir so as not to cook the eggs. Continue doing this little at a time until all the milk mixture has been added. Now put the raisins and their liquid into the croissant pieces in a large bowl. Add milk mixture and fold and stir pressing to get all the liquid into the bread. Put in refrigerator and sit overnight. Pour into a 9x13 pan and bake for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Remove and cool slightly. Spread the apricot preserves over the top in a thin layer. Make the sauce in the microwave cooking for 1 minute, then stirring, one minute stir, one more minute, remove and add vanilla. Let the sauce cool slightly and it will thicken. Serve bread pudding with caramel sauce, a small dollop of cream and fresh ground nutmeg. Garnish with dried apricots.