Recipe: Holland America Line’s Chocolate and Raisin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce and Royal Caribbean’s Old Fashioned

Throughout our Tasty Tuesday series, we’ve been highlighting lots of National Food Holidays. What we didn’t know is how long these National Food Holidays had been around. On April 30, raisin lovers around the world will celebrate National Raisin Day. We heard through the grapevine that the raisin growers of California promoted the first National Raisin Day in 1909! That is 112 years ago, who knew? If adding raisins to recipes is your jam, you’ll love Holland America Line’s Chocolate and Raisin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. To bring out the whiskey flavor, try pairing it with Royal Caribbean’s Old Fashioned – Rocks cocktail.

Chocolate and Raisin Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce Recipe – Holland America Line

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons whiskey (for soaking the raisins; optional)
• 1 pound loaf day-old Italian bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 6 large eggs
• 1-quart whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Whiskey Sauce

• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons whiskey, such as Jack Daniels, Jameson, or Old Bushmills

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan to make one.
• Combine the raisins and whiskey in a small bowl; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Bring a large kettle of water to a boil.
• Drain the raisins and discard the liquid.
• Divide the bread, chocolate chips, and drained raisins among the muffin cups (or place in the baking pan).
• In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Whisk to blend thoroughly.
• Pour the egg mixture over the bread in each of the muffin cups (or in the baking pan) and place the pan in a large roasting pan.
• Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and add enough boiling water to the large pan to reach halfway up the side of the muffin or making pan.
• Bake the puddings for 30 to 40 minutes (45 minutes to one hour if you make one), or until puffed and just set.
• Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and remove the muffin (or baking) pan inside it.
• Let the bread pudding cool until warm and serve, unmolded, with the whiskey sauce or the whipped cream and vanilla ice cream (or serve the single bread pudding in the baking pan with the accompaniments).

Yield: 12 Servings
Prep Time = 0:30, Cook Time = 0:45, Total Time = 1:15

Old Fashioned – Rocks – Royal Caribbean

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 oz House Whiskey
• 1 x Orange Slice
• 1 x Cherry
• 1 x Sugar Sachet
• 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters
• 1 oz Soda

Instructions

• Muddle Orange, Cherry, Sugar & Bitters
• Add Liquor
• Stir
• Add Ice
• Top with Soda