I tend to fixate on a meal or a dessert and tweak it until I get it just right… and bread pudding is no exception. Frankly, I am sure everyone I know is ready to run me out of town with all my talk and preparation on this wonderful dessert. However, there is one secret I haven’t shared… a wonderful by-product… a cordial.
The word ‘liqueur’ and ‘cordial’ are often used interchangeably… simply they are alcoholic drinks flavored with fruits, flowers, herbs, spices, cream and other nice things. Most alcoholic drinks flavored with fruit are considered ‘cordials.’ The cordial made in my bread pudding is the result of soaking white raisins and dried blueberries in a mixture of : 1/2 sherry, 1/3 rye whiskey and a small amount of brandy. The result is a slightly familiar and sweet sipping drink usually consumed after the meal. You’ll love it… ‘cordial’, after all, is derived from the Latin word for heart.
‘Fortified’ wines are those with added alcohol, but I really don’t see the difference today as so many wines have raised their level of alcohol. As for a wine with an added boost, my favorite is a ‘Kir’... champagne with a splash of creme de cassis.