Chocolate Praline Bread Pudding with Cinnamon Cream Recipe

For Praline, grease a cookie sheet; set aside. Combine sugar and water in a heavy medium-size skillet and cook over medium heat 10 minutes, until golden brown (do not stir). Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Immediately pour praline onto cookie sheet. Cool completely. Chop into small pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

For Bread Pudding, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch glass baking dish. Place bread in a large bowl. Set both aside.

Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk 1 cup of hot cream into egg mixture. Then, whisk hot cream-egg mixture back into cream in saucepan and cook 1 to 2 minutes, until sugar dissolves. Add 3 ounces of chocolate, stirring until melted. Pour mixture over bread, stirring until bread absorbs all the liquid. Stir in remaining 6 ounces chocolate, the salt and 1 cup praline.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Place in a large roasting pan. (Make sure there is at least 1 inch of space between baking pan and roasting pan.) Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of baking dish.

Bake 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pudding from water bath and cool 10 to 20 minutes on a wire rack.

For Cinnamon Cream, beat the heavy cream and the cinnamon in a small mixer bowl on medium-high speed, until soft peaks form. Beat in confectioners' sugar just until combined.

For each serving, spoon cinnamon cream over pudding and sprinkle with remaining praline.