White Chocolate Bread Pudding: it's the most asked-for recipe here on the blog-and the most popular dessert at Nordstrom Cafe Bistro. There's a reason for that; it's pretty incredible. While baking, the pudding filled my kitchen with the smell of French toast, and the half-exposed bread on top developed a light crust, which added a nice textural contrast to the silky interior. The orange zest gives the raspberry sauce a tasty hint of citrus, while the white chocolate cream sauce takes the whole decadent dish to a very special place. And (bonus!) it can be made ahead of time. White chocolate and raspberries are a winning combination, and this is a perfect recipe for celebrating Mother's Day-or any time you need a ridiculously good dessert.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding
(Serves 12)

From our Friends and Family Cookbook: "No matter how well you have dined, or how much you have eaten, there is always room for a special treat. It's a perfect dessert for entertaining because most of the work can be done in advance. The pudding is baked twice; before it goes into the oven a second time, it is brushed with butter so it develops a crisp, yet delicate, exterior and a smooth, velvety and seductive interior. We always serve this dessert with White Chocolate Sauce, Raspberry Sauce, fresh raspberries and delicate ribbons of shaved white chocolate. Yummm."

Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 cups heavy (whipping) cream
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/3 pounds) white chocolate morsels
6 large whole eggs, plus 12 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 24-inch loaf day-old French bread, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush a 9-by-12-by-2-inch baking pan with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk and sugar and heat until just hot. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate morsels and stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisking constantly, gradually drizzle the warm cream mixture into the eggs, continuing to whisk until smooth and well blended. (If the cream mixture is too hot, the eggs will curdle.)

Lay half of the bread slices in the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour half of the cream mixture over the bread and allow to absorb the liquid, about 5 minutes. Layer the remaining bread on top and pour the rest of the cream mixture over it. Press down on the bread, making certain it completely absorbs the liquid. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake the pudding for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until the liquid at the center has evaporated and the pudding is golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

When the bread pudding is cool, cover and refrigerate until cold. Run a sharp knife between the edges of the bread pudding and sides of the pan to loosen the pudding and then invert the pan onto the cutting board and tap the bottom to release the pudding. Peel off the parchment paper. Trim off the crusty edges around the sides. Cut the bread pudding into six 2-by-3-inch rectangles and then cut each rectangle in half on an angle to form 2 triangles. Wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 cups fresh or unsweetened frozen raspberries

To make the Raspberry Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, sugar and orange zest and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Then, using the back of a spoon, force the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bowl to remove the seeds. Set aside until ready to serve.

White Chocolate Sauce
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup white chocolate morsels

To make the White Chocolate Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the cream until hot. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate morsels, and stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Keep warm.

Download this White Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe to print, and find more recipes to try in our What's Cooking series and Nordstrom Cookbooks. Have a favorite dish or beverage from our restaurants or cookbooks that you'd like to see featured? Let us know in the comments!

Garnish
1 pint fresh raspberries
4-ounce chunk white chocolate

To finish and assemble the dessert, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a rimmed baking sheet and place the bread pudding triangles on it, leaving space between the pieces. Brush the triangles with the remaining melted butter. Bake the triangles until heated through and lightly browned, about 12 minutes.

For each serving, stand a hot bread pudding triangle on its side in the center of a large dessert plate. Run a stripe of White Chocolate Sauce across the plate, including the top of the pudding. Pool some of the Raspberry Sauce at the opposite edges of the plate. Garnish with raspberries and with ribbons of white chocolate cut from the chunk with a vegetable peeler.