It's got pumpkin! It's got booze! It's the best dessert recipe known to man! Everyone will ask you for this recipe. It's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Lady Di's Famous Rum Sauce. Who is Lady Di, you ask? No, it's not that one. Lady Di is my mom. And boy, does she have a really bitchin' sauce. 

Bread pudding is the world’s most underrated dessert. It’s seen a recent, awesome comeback. Here is my basic bread pudding recipe, with a fall twist. This recipe serves 8. 

Ingredients

• 8 slices stale whole wheat or other brown bread
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup butter
• Pinch of: salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup dark rum or bourbon…I recommend Newfoundland Screech, if you can find it.
• Pecan halves (chopped works too) to top, or for garnish.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease eight individual ramekins, or one 8x8 pan.

Bread Pudding: Butter both sides of the bread, and tear into 1-inch pieces. If you’re using pre-bought bread from the store, mix with ¼ cup melted butter. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, and spices. Pour over bread and mix. Transfer to pan or individual ramekins, top with pecan bits, and bake for one hour.

Sauce: While the bread pudding is baking, combine sugar and water in a large pot. Keep the heat to medium. Bring to a boil. Do not stir. Allow sugar mixture to begin to brown. Resist the urge to stir, seriously. Keep an eye on it! It can burn fast, and will be a real bitch to clean up if it does. It should take around 15 minutes to get to this stage. When it turns a rich amber, add the cream and bourbon and stir it up. Much like Mike’s Red Hot, you can put this shit on everything.

Serve individual bread puddings with a drizzle of sauce.