Bacon, Bacon Everywhere!

My husband loves bread pudding so I’m always looking for new ways to keep it interesting. I also live in the Southwest and somehow everything seems to take on a spicy flair. So, I decided to see if I could make a savory-sweet bread pudding. Peaches are in season so they became the fruit of choice and of course, we needed to add our bacon and green chilies to add a salty, heat to the bread itself. And how could we have bread pudding without a sweet and spicy topping. The finished product was amazing! 

Peach-Green Chili and Bacon Bread Pudding with a Brandy Cayenne Glaze

½ cup butter, melted

2½ cups fresh peaches, thinly sliced

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

12 slices stale bread, torn into bite size pieces

6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

1/8 cup canned green chilies, drained

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze

¼ cup butter

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons brandy

¼ cup pecans

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1) Pour butter into bottom of an 8x8 pan. Combine peaches, brown sugar and flour. Pour mixture into bottom of pan.

2) Place bread, bacon and green chilies in a bowl and toss to combine.

3) In another bowl combine half and half, milk, eggs and cinnamon. Beat slightly until all ingredients are incorporated.

4) Pour milk mixture over bread and toss gently to coat. Allow to set for 10 minutes and then spoon over bread over peaches. Place pan in larger pan and fill larger pan with one inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.

Glaze

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine butter, brown sugar and brandy. Continue to heat until sugar has melted and glaze is bubbling. Add pecans and cayenne. Serve sauce over bread pudding.

The green chilies and bacon in the bread pudding adds a hint of salty heat while the real heat seems to settle in the peaches at the bottom. The cayenne glaze adds a sweet and spicy final kick to an already fun dessert.