A Berry Cherry 4th of July

I was raised in a large family so leftovers didn't happen very often but if they did, my mom made sure nothing went to waste. She could take half pound of hamburger and turn it into a meal for eight people. I never knew how she did it but it was amazing.

I also knew if we had leftover bread we could count on some kind of bread pudding for dessert. My mom always kept it simple and skipped any kind of fancy sauce since it was devoured in a matter of minutes. 

I still use her recipe but I’m always trying to find new ways to keep it fun and interesting. So when I had leftover raisin bread and fresh cherries, I decided to use them both to create my own version of bread pudding. 

I added a little Amaretto to the fresh cherries to create a sweet, tart sauce. It turned out great! Just like moms, only a little fancier.    

Cherry Bread Pudding with a Cherry Amaretto Sauce

12 slices raisin bread (torn into bite size pieces)

2 tablespoons butter

¾ cup cherries, pitted and chopped                                                       

¾ cup sugar                                                  

1 teaspoon cinnamon                                                                                      

½ teaspoon nutmeg                                                                     

1 cup half and half                                                                                

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 eggs                                                                                                             

2 cups milk           

1 cup cherries, pitted, chopped

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto

Grease 8x8 baking pan with butter.                                                                          

Tear bread into bite size pieces and place in greased pan. Top bread with ¾ cup cherries. Combine ¾ cup sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle evenly over bread.

Beat eggs slightly and add half and half, vanilla and milk.

Pour over sugar layer and toss lightly.

Place pan in larger pan with on inch of water all around.

Bake one hour at 375 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Cherry Amaretto Sauce:

Combine 1 cup cherries, ½ cup sugar and 2 tablespoons amaretto in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce has reduced slightly. Serve sauce over bread pudding.