Bourbon Bread Pudding

In his series Marcus' Kitchen, chef Marcus Samuelsson shares dozens of recipes that prove "American" cuisine is really a delicious melting pot that draws upon flavors from all over the world.

In this episode, Marcus prepares a rich bread pudding, made more fragrant with bourbon and spices such as cardamom, cloves, a cinnamon stick and a vanilla bean. He starts with the recipe's main star -- the slightly stale brioche (or challah bread, if you prefer) -- rips it into small pieces, and adds it to a bowl with sour dried cherries, dried cranberries and cubes of semi-sweet chocolate. He mixes these dry ingredients with the eggs and Bourbon, before moving toward the stove.

Marcus then adds cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, brown sugar, coconut milk and a sliced and scraped vanilla bean to a medium saucepan, and brings the mixture to a simmer. He removes the pan from the heat, discards the vanilla pod, cloves and cinnamon sticks, and after allowing the mixture to cool slightly, pours it into the bowl of bread. He mixes the ingredients well and then lets them sit for about an hour, so that the bread will be nicely soaked and infused with the many flavors. Finally, Marcus adds the mixture to a buttered baking dish and cooks the pudding for a half hour.

Marcus' perfect pairing tip? Top the piping pudding with vanilla ice cream -- delicious.

Get the Recipe for Bourbon Bread Pudding.