The Real O’Neals,  Season 1 Episode 7 – The Real Grandma

Jimmy: Oh there it is. Show me the pudding

Grandma: Is that my favorite?

Eileen: Bread and Butter Pudding. It sure is.

I have to admit, I have been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to do a The Real O’Neals post. I love this show. It’s funny to the point of literally laughing out loud. Not a giggle or a snort, but full-on, had-to-rewind-becuase-I-missed-stuff, laugh out loud funny. And not just to me, my husband has had to rewind too. We’ve only let the kids watch parts of it because they’re still a little too young to understand some of the subject matter, like why Kenny is shoving an entire box of condoms in the toilet, but we’ve shown them parts and their main takeaway is that Jimmy is hilarious. So there you go, funny for all ages. Kind of.

Its centered around a traditional Irish-Catholic family in Chicago, whose main characters are all struggling to conform their modern-day problems with their strict religious upbringing. Kenny, (played by the supremely adorable Noah Galvin) has come out to his family, and his parish, as gay, Eileen and Jack are getting a divorce, Jimmy had an eating disorder but his Jesus pancakes seemed to have cured that, and Shannon, well she’s an evil genius and I both equally adore her and am a little frightened by her.  The writers for this show are brilliant, the casting is beyond perfect, and the comedic timing is spot on. And yes, Kenny is gay and often the focus of the show, but it’s so much more than that. It’s family at its finest, and, not so finest. Its family at its realest. Realest? Most real? Whatever. It’s about family and its real.

In this episode, the O’Neals didn’t just have to deal with their everyday struggles, they have to deal with Grandma. The straight up ‘Gangsta of Catholics’. They have to listen to Grandma’s judgment and closed-minded bigotry in the name of religion, but they do it with humor and dessrt. They do it with bread and butter pudding, because, let’s be honest, nothing makes family more tolerable than a dessert that’s laced with Irish Whiskey.

Bread and butter pudding is easy to make and incredibly impressive. Buttered slices of bread get doused in a sweet custard. It’s almost like a boozy french toast casserole. This recipe has whiskey drenched raisins but they’re optional if you’re anti-raisin. I wont judge you either way. After its baked, parts can be dry but a helping of the luscious whisky cream sauce will fix that. 

I strongly recommend watching The Real O’Neals on abc, (Tuesdays 8:30/7:30 c) and making this Bread and Butter pudding, both are favorites in my house.  

The Real Bread and Butter Pudding

Serves 12

Ingredients

2/3 cup raisins

½ cup Irish whiskey

5 eggs

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 1-inch slices firm white bread (about 10 ounces) (crusts left on)

¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

SALTED CARAMEL WHISKEY BUTTER SAUCE

¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 ¼ cups whipping cream

Directions

• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the raisins and whiskey; let soak for 1 hour.

• Butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

• Generously spread one side of each slice of bread with the 3/4 cup butter.

• Cut the slices in half diagonally and arrange the bread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping the slices.

• Drain the raisins, reserving the whiskey. Sprinkle raisins over the bread, tucking some between the bread slices.

• Pour the custard over the bread; cover and let it soak in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan.

• Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pudding is set and the top is golden (there will be a layer of melted butter over the pudding).

• Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath and let cool slightly on a wire rack (the butter will soak back into the bread as it cools).
• Meanwhile, for sauce, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.

• Whisk in the sugar, salt, cream, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved whiskey.

• Bring to boiling; reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring frequently.
• Serve pudding warm with the sauce spooned over the top

The Real Bread and Butter Pudding

2016-05-09 20:02:35

Serves 12

a sweet, dense bread pudding laced with boozy raisins and topped with a luscious whiskey butter sauce.

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Prep Time

35 min

Cook Time

45 min

Prep Time

35 min

Cook Time

45 min

Ingredients

1. 2/3 cup raisins
2. ½ cup Irish whiskey
3. 5 eggs
4. 2 cups whipping cream
5. 1 cup sugar
6. ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
7. ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
8. 1 teaspoon vanilla
9. 8 1-inch slices firm white bread (about 10 ounces) (crusts left on)
10. ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
11. SALTED CARAMEL WHISKEY BUTTER SAUCE
12. ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
13. ½ cup sugar
14. ½ teaspoon sea salt
15. 1 ¼ cups whipping cream

Instructions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the raisins and whiskey; let soak for 1 hour. Butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Generously spread one side of each slice of bread with the 3/4 cup butter. Cut the slices in half diagonally and arrange the bread in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, overlapping the slices. Drain the raisins, reserving the whiskey. Sprinkle raisins over the bread, tucking some between the bread slices. Pour the custard over the bread; cover and let it soak in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until the pudding is set and the top is golden (there will be a layer of melted butter over the pudding). Carefully remove the baking dish from the water bath and let cool slightly on a wire rack (the butter will soak back into the bread as it cools).
4. Meanwhile, for sauce, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar, salt, cream, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved whiskey. Bring to boiling; reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Serve pudding warm with the sauce spooned over the top

By Sandy

Adapted from BHG

Adapted from BHG

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