Croissant Bread Pudding

I made this recipe for a friend's baby shower/brunch last weekend and I really loved it.  It's from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook-- you know if it's from Ina, it's gonna be good.

The recipe calls for raisins, but I'm not such a big fan of raisins in baked goods... unless they're in oatmeal cookies... so I omitted them.  Also, she suggests serving this pudding with rum whipped cream, but I didn't have any rum on hand, so I just made regular whipped cream and topped it with blackberries.  Where Sam's Club found juicy ripe blackberries in February, I don't know, but they were really good.

Croissant Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 3 extra-large whole eggs
• 8 extra-large egg yolks
• 5 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 6 croissants, preferably stale
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the custard mixture aside. Slice the croissants in half horizontally. In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the raisins, then the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.

Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover the larger pan with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn't touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.