This is the classic New Orleans bread pudding, as prepared at the Bon Ton Cafe on Magazine Street. I consider it a quintessential version, but there are many possible variations: you can enrich it by using half-and-half instead of milk, and an extra egg; you can add different fruits, nuts, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear bread into chunks and soak in milk. Crush with hands to make sure milk has soaked through. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins and stir well. Pour melted margarine or butter in bottom of a heavy 9 x 14 baking pan. Add bread mixture (and I sprinkle more cinnamon and raisins on top) and bake until very firm, about 40 mins. Cool pudding, cube it and put it into individual dessert dishes. When ready to serve, add whiskey sauce and heat under broiler for a few minutes (last step optional).

Whiskey sauce

A variation that I like is to use Southern Comfort for the sauce instead of whiskey. Cream sugar and butter and cook in a double-boiler until very hot and well-dissolved. Add well-beaten egg very slowly and whip very fast so egg doesn't curdle. Cool and add liquor. Walt Mm

Serves 8