French Quarter Bread Pudding w/ Pecans & Raisins

What do you do with the extra small slices of pecan raisin bread from a big loaf?

You freeze them.

I always freeze the ends and small slices of bread that are too small for a sandwich. There is always crostini in my future.
But this time, I used the frozen pieces for a pecan raisin bread pudding w/ bourbon.

Wow.

Sounds like New Orleans, doesn't it?
Let's call it "French Quarter Bread Pudding".

This is good stuff, perfect for the holidays.

Beware: The smell in the kitchen will be intoxicating.
Try not to eat the whole thing, if you can.

French Quarter Bread Pudding:

1 loaf of pecan raisin bread, cut into 1" cubes
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups of whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream (yes)
1/4 cup of Bourbon (yes)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
handful of chopped pecans
handful of golden raisins
turbinado (raw)sugar for the top

If you don't have pecan raisin bread, use French bread instead and add in the raisins and nuts.

Using 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, grease an 8" x 8" square pan (glass or metal).

Lay the bread cubes on the bottom of the pan, covering and overlapping. Use all the bread.

Make the custard by whisking the eggs w/ the milk, cream, bourbon, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.

Pour over the bread cubes and press down with a spatula to soak up the custard.

Let the pudding sit in the fridge for 2 hours to absorb the liquid.

Sprinkle the top w/ chopped pecans, some more raisins (if you like) and drizzle w/ the remaining tablespoon of melted butter.

Finish w/ some turbinado (raw) sugar and bake in a 325F oven for 50-60 minutes till puffed and golden.

Serve w/ ice cream, or whipped cream.

Divine.