Bread-and-Butter Pudding

Bread pudding, a classic Irish sweet, is also called bread-and-butter pudding when the slices of bread are buttered first, a touch that adds a richer flavor. When raisins or golden raisins are added, they are often plumped up first with a few hours' soaking in Irish whiskey. Contemporary versions might include fruits such as apples, blueberries, pears, rhubarb and dried cranberries or dark or white chocolate pieces.

This recipe is the most traditional, adapted from ones you'll find throughout Ireland. For restaurant service, chefs make the puddings in six-to-eight-ounce ramekins, or even teacups, but you can bake the pudding family-style in a nine-inch baking dish, as suggested in this recipe. Custard Sauce is a favorite traditional accompaniment, although Irish Whiskey Sauce is also popular. Sauces should be made first and chilled before serving.

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Excerpted from Irish Puddings, Tarts, Crumbles and Fools by Margaret M. Johnson, photographs by Leigh Beisch (Chronicle Books)

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