White Chocolate Bread Pudding - Planet Hollywood

[Isafari]

PLANET HOLLYWOOD WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

Yield: 9 servings.

32 ounces French bread (about 4 cups), dried overnight in a covered container
1 cup milk
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (15 ounces) granulated sugar, divided
2 3/4 cups (22 ounces) heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) white chocolate pieces
1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter
Whiskey sauce:
2 1/4 cups (18 ounces) butter
4 1/2 cups (36 ounces) granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) Jim Beam bourbon

1. Cut French bread into 1-inch cubes. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Beat yolks and 11/4 cups (10 ounces) sugar. In pan, heat milk, remaining sugar (5 ounces), heavy cream, vanilla over medium heat, whisking constantly. As mixture begins to boil, turn down heat. Add 2 (1/2 cup) ladles of milk mixture to egg mixture in bowl and whisk. This brings temperature of yolks up so that they won’t curdle.
3. Add egg mixture to rest of pan mixture. Stir 5-7 minutes. Stir in white chocolate until smooth. Pour over bread. Let set 4 hours, to make sure liquid soaks into bread.
4. Place bread in buttered 10-by-12-by-2-inch baking pan. Cover with layer of plastic food service film, then top with foil. Place baking pan inside larger pan. Pour in water to come up halfway around sides of bread-filled pan. Bake 45 minutes. Cool.
3. For sauce, beat eggs. Melt butter in heavy-bottomed pan. Add sugar. Heat to simmering. Do not allow to boil. Add bourbon, stirring. Continue cooking 2-3 minutes until bubbles begin forming around edges of pan. Add 2 (1/4-ounce) ladles of bourbon mixture to beaten eggs to bring the eggs up to temperature. Add all of beaten egg mixture to bourbon mixture, whipping constantly.