Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Mirza Trist LaBiche Berg

This recipe from my grandmother is the quintessential “Mamie” recipe, to me.  There may be other Mamie favorites to other people in the family:  Pork Chops and Lima Beans, Blue Cheese Dip spread on a celery stick, Stuffed Artichokes (hmmm, that’s a pretty good one, too).  I even have Mamie on video giving this recipe.  Of course, it MUST be served with Whiskey Sauce.

This recipe can be increased for any number, always using these proportions.

1 egg

1 heaping tablespoon sugar

1 cup milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 slice stale French bread (crusts removed if desired)

¼ to ⅓ cup raisins

Beat egg and sugar together.  Add milk and vanilla and mix.  Put in a casserole dish.  Put in a slice of bread and the raisins.  Bake at 250° for 30 minutes, mix it up to break up the bread and distribute the raisins, and cook for about another 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.

2 servings

Whiskey Sauce

1 stick butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

bourbon

Cream together butter and sugar, and add enough bourbon to make a pourable sauce.

Article in the Times of Acadiana

I am thrilled to see the article in the Times of Acadiana from December 23, 2009, and I hope that my Broussard relatives have all seen it. If not, here’s the link (well, sorry, I can’t get the “link” button to work, but you can copy and paste this url to see the article):

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20091223/ACADIANA06/91221033

She has even included Mamie’s recipe for Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce.

With book signings, tastings, travel, making Saints ornaments for my Saints Playoff Tree, and then Christmas, I’m afraid I haven’t been keeping up to date with the blog. I’ll try to do better!

Food reference: For Christmas breakfast, we had Rachel’s request of Monkey Bread, with the standard bacon, coffee, and orange juice. Christmas dinner was very un-traditional for us — Prime ribeye steaks and brussels sprouts, both grilled by Randy outside, great Crash Hot Potatoes, and a pretty salad of Boston lettuce and fresh asparagus with a light vinaigrette. We were going to have Chocolate Volcanoes for dessert, but nobody wanted dessert.

Pictures of Papa – Charles Franck LaBiche Sr.

Charles Franck LaBiche, Sr., and Marcus Crescentius LaBiche, Sr.

Armand Anthony Legendre & Ruth LaBiche Legendre, Charles Franck LaBiche, Sr., & Mirza Trist LaBiche

Charles Franck LaBiche, Sr., sitting under umbrella. Mirza Trist LaBiche right background with hat. Everybody else unidentified.

Armand Anthony Legendre, Sr., at left. Charles Franck LaBiche, Sr., at right. Mirza Trist LaBiche to right of steering wheel, seated. Ruth LaBiche Legendre to left of Charles LaBiche, standing. The rest unidentified.

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My Papa died when I was 7 years old, so all of the photos of him are from quite a while ago.

One of my favorites is him with Uncle Marcus (his brother – actually my Great Uncle) holding boiled crawfish, and a glass of beer. Mama said that this photos was taken in the ’40s.

Papa was a golfer, and I am happy to have some of his golf trophies. I had even more, but my car was broken into on Port Street in the ’80s, and a whole box full was stolen. I’m sure they didn’t mean as much to the thief as they did to me.

Aunt Ruth was Papa’s sister. Papa was the Men’s Department buyer and Aunt Ruth was the Ladies Department buyer for the family clothing store, LaBiche’s. I believe that Aunt Ruth’s husband, Armand Legendre, was the Shoe Department buyer. The whole bunch of them would go to New York a couple of times a year on buying trips.

More photos of Mamie ….

These are photos of my maternal grandparents, Charles (Papa) & Mirza (Mamie) LaBiche. The last one is Mamie with her brother Nick Trist and her sister Juanita Valadie.

I’ve chosen these photos to share because all of these people are no longer with us, so I can’t get their permission!

See more cookbook photos, a list of all of the recipes or order the Cafe Sassone cookbook at http://www.CafeSassone.com

So, about those photos….

Mamie & Denise

I’ve been asked repeatedly why I didn’t identify all the people in the photographs. I decided that it was easier to get photo releases from everybody if I didn’t put names in the book. I was afraid some people would be uncomfortable with their names in the book, but wouldn’t mind an unidentified photo.

Since you asked, I guess I’ll identify some. I’ll start with myself.

This is a photo I found in my baby book, identified as “Things Denise likes at 1 year — chewing on bones.” I think I liked sitting in Mamie’s lap chewing on bones. Mamie was my grandmother, Mirza Trist LaBiche. She lived from 1907 until 1998. She was a great cook, and people remember her for her Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce (in the book) and her Stuffed Artichokes (also in the book), among many other things. She loved Fruit Cake (yes, that too is in the book) and she and I would get together each year and bake them for ourselves and for other People Who Love Fruit Cake. I still make fruit cakes every year, and think of her when I’m doing so. The list of People Who Love Fruit Cake has grown a lot over the years.

See more cookbook photos, a list of all of the recipes or order the Cafe Sassone cookbook at http://www.CafeSassone.com