SWEET POTATO BREAD PUDDING WITH COMFORT BUTTER SAUCE

by Diane Nemitz
(Ludington, Mich.)

Pudding:
1 ½ cups milk
2 cups half and half
2 cups cinnamon bread cubes (may use plain bread and 1 tsp. cinnamon if cinnamon bread is not available)
3 large eggs
1 cup pureed canned sweet potatoes
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup pecan halves
Sauce:
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Southern Comfort

Preheat oven to 325 deg. Butter a 2 ½ quart soufflé dish

Scald milk and half and half in large saucepan. Turn off heat, add bread and let sit for 15 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir in sweet potatoes and pour into saucepan and stir. Pour into soufflé dish. Place dish in a separate baking pan and pour hot water into the baking pan until it reaches one inch up the side of the soufflé dish. Bake in preheated oven for about 1 ½ hours. After the first hour, sprinkle pecans over the top, then continue baking. Allow pudding to stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Prepare sauce while pudding bakes.
Heat brown sugar, butter and cream in heavy saucepan and boil for one minute. Add Southern Comfort and turn off heat. Serve warm over individual servings of pudding.
Serves 8

Skip the pumpkin pie and serve this instead! What a way to enjoy sweet potatoes - if you insist, you can substitute pumpkin puree for the sweet potatoes. May also top with whipped cream.