Raspberry Bread Pudding... Just like Kneaders used to make! And Vanilla Cream Sauce

• 1 1/2 Loaves French Bread (day or two old or let it sit out for a few hours)
• 1 Quart Heavy Cream (that's 4 C)
• 3 C Sugar (That's not quite a QUART of sugar... )
• 2 Eggs
• 1 T Vanilla
• 2 1/2 C Frozen Raspberries
• 1/2 C Sugar (NOW we're almost at a quart of sugar...)
• 1/4 C Apple Juice

In a large bowl, combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cut bread into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  Add to the cream mixture, let sit for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to completely saturate the bread cubes.

In another bowl, combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved.  Spray a 9x13 glass casserole dish and layer 3/4 of bread mixture.  Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the bread, (I kind of gently poke it down in some places to spread it more thoroughly throughout the bread in the pan...)  Top with remaining bread mixture.  Bake 40-50 minutes at 375 degrees.  (be careful and put foil on the bottom of the oven or under pan... it has been known to bubble sticky deliciousness over the sides and create a definite un-delicious smelly baked on MESS in the oven!  Sharing that particular tip for a "friend"...)

While baking make the incredible Vanilla Cream Sauce...:

• 5 C Half and Half (divided)
• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 2 T Cornstarch
• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 T Butter
• 1 T Vanilla

In a sauce pan heat 4 C of the half and half till hot and bubbly. Don’t scorch. In a bowl combine the remaining 1 C of h and h and the cornstarch. Whisk until completely dissolved. Add the sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is also dissolved. Add in the egg yolks, mix well. Gradually add the cold milk/egg mixture to the hot milk in saucepan, whisking constantly. Heat until mixture starts to bubble snd thicken. Do not burn. Remove from heat snd stir in butter and vanilla.  Serve warm. (This is an alternate Vanilla Cream Sauce. It’s a very different taste and texture from the other sauce... I may like it even better!)

(So I had seen the RASPBERRY BREAD PUDDING at Kneaders for years and completely dismissed it because... hello!?  Bread Pudding!  Ewww.... I mean, vanilla pudding, chocolate fudge pudding, even tapioca pudding... but BREAD PUDDING!???  Until one day I heard 3 friends all agree that Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding was the best thing in the world.  Not just the best "bread pudding", but the best thing ever.  Well, I had to try it.  They may have been right.  So of course, my next step was to recreate this deliciousness and add it to my repertoire.  I refer to it as "Baked Raspberry French Toast to my family... because... BREAD PUDDING!...  As usual, I read and then put the best parts of several recipes together.  Then through trial and error, I make alterations.  This is the finished result of my research.  You're welcome!)