Recipe: Gill's Amarula Croissant Bread Pudding

So after all that road trippin' and safar-ing, how's about a little food?  It's been a while, no?

I thought I'd do a few posts on some amazing desserts.  And I'm gonna start with my absolute new best friend.  Like, we're tight.  Having a bad day?  She's there, in all her melting, crunchy, flaky, sweet, creamy, buttery glory.  

May I present, Gill's Amarula Croissant Bread Pudding:

So Easter Sunday, we go over to the Glasses for lunch and at the end of the meal (which was awesome and included a South African favorite, bobotie -- as soon as I get the recipe, I'll write it up) Gill brings this to the table.  "I just whipped this up quickly," she says.  As soon as I took a bite it took all I had not to take run from the table, entire panful in my hands, go to a distant corner of the house and stuff the whole thing in my mouth, handful by sweet-glory handful.

You think I'm exaggerating again, don't you.  Yeah.  All I gotta say is this:  Croissants.  And Amarula.  Amarula is like the South African cousin of Bailey's Irish Cream, made with a local fruit.  It is 100% my favorite liqueur.  It tastes like the best vanilla ice cream you've ever tasted, with a slight, mysterious fruitiness that you can't quite place.  SIGH.  And:  DROOL.

So, without, further ado, here it is.  With many thanks to Gill Glass for sharing her gorgeous creation!

Gill's Amarula Croissant Bread Pudding

• 3 eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 250ml (1 cup) cream
• 1/2 cup Amarula (if you can't get Amarula, subsitute your favorite creamy liqueur)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8-9 Croissants (Stale ones are fine; whenever she has some getting old, Gill puts them in her freezer till she has enough)

Mix eggs, milk, cream, Amarula/liqueur and sugar till combined.

Place croissants in baking dish.  For a bread pudding that has more crunchy texture (from the top), choose a larger, more shallow dish.  For a bread pudding with more a more creamy center, choose a deeper, smaller dish. 

Pour liquid mixture over croissants and let them soak at least 30 minutes.  Bake at 175-180C (350F) for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!  (And seriously, you will!)