Bread & Butter Pudding

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the Amaretto and 3 ounces of raisins in a bowl, then cover with plastic wrap overnight.

Remove the crusts from all of the bread. Cut 1/3 of it into 1/2-inch squares, then spread them over the bottom of a casserole dish.

Next, take your Amaretto-soaked raisins and pour them atop the diced bread. Pour any leftover Amaretto on top for an extra punch of flavor.

Melt the sticks of unsalted butter and cut the remaining slices of bread into 4 triangles.

Coat one side of the bread with butter, then lay them in the baking dish, slightly overlapping each triangle to give it a textured, eye-catching look.

Pour the remaining butter over the bread.

In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, vanilla paste, and granulated sugar. Whisk the ingredients together and the result should be a dark yellow, slightly thick batter.

On a stovetop, bring the milk and heavy cream to a boil. Then, add the boiling liquid into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.

Pour the warm egg mixture on top of the bread, just until it's reached the top of the bread. Let the bread and warm egg mixture sit for 20 minutes to allow the liquid to soak into the bread.

Put the casserole dish in a roasting tray filled halfway with hot water.

Bake the dish in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the bread's top becomes golden brown. Make sure the filling has set and firmed up before turning off your oven, so this may add another 10 minutes or so to the recipe.

Sprinkle extra sugar and toasted almonds over the top, then brûlée or broil it until it's caramelized.