PANETTONE BREAD PUDDING WITH ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Arrange the panettone bread cubes to fit compactly into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. (8-inch square pan works well.) Do not compress too tightly. Whisk together 4 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Pour in the cream, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon orange liqueur; whisk to combine. Stir in salt, nutmeg, and orange zest. Pour this mixture over the panettone cubes in the casserole dish. Make sure all cubes are soaked. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the bread from the refrigerator, uncover, and dot the top of the bread pudding with butter. Set casserole dish into a shallow pan that is 2 to 3 inches larger in diameter than the casserole dish. Set these pans onto the center rack of the preheated oven. Pour hot water into the outside pan, until it reaches a depth of 1 inch around the casserole dish, creating a water bath. Bake the pudding in the water bath until it is fully set and a knife inserted into the center of the pudding comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Carefully remove the pudding from the water bath and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Just before serving, make the sauce by melting butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar, orange liqueur, orange juice, nutmeg, and salt. Stir and heat over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid is heated through. Remove from heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk 1 egg until well beaten. While whisking the egg, slowly pour 2 tablespoons of the hot mixture into the bowl with the egg. Then, while whisking mixture vigorously, slowly pour the warmed egg mixture back into the sauce. Place the saucepan back over low heat, gently stirring the sauce and raising the temperature slowly to medium. Continue to stir until the sauce almost reaches a simmer, reducing the heat as necessary if the mixture threatens to boil. Continue stirring until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Serve sauce with pudding.