Apple Bread Pudding with Warm Bourbon Sauce

Here is my proud entry for Sugar High Friday #36, hosted by Spittoon Extra. The theme is "Drunken Apples"- basically, apples and booze. And yes, this bread pudding tasted better than it looks in the photo. Much better, in fact- it was positively scrumptious, and I think the booze made all the difference. The bourbon sauce is a vital part of the recipe- don't skip it! The bread pudding is good on its own, but the sauce takes it to a whole other level.
Another key to good bread pudding, I think, is the bread. I've tried to make bread pudding before with various levels of success, but this time I used leftover, slightly stale challah and it came out perfect. I'd also like to add some dried cherries to the pudding next time, for a nice tart addition.

**See the roundup for Sugar High Friday #36 here!

Apple Bread Pudding
Adapted from this recipe.
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
About 2 cups bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used about a quarter loaf of challah)
1 medium firm, tart apple, peeled cored and diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/8 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg (you can adjust these spices to taste)

Bourbon Sauce

1. Butter a glass baking dish (I used a 1 1/2 quart pyrex casserole dish). Put cubed bread and apples in dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, milk, cream, honey, vanilla, honey, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Pour liquid mixture over bread and apples. Mix a bit to make sure all pieces are coated.
4. Refrigerate for about 2 hours.
5. 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Boil a kettle of water. Put baking dish in larger metal roasting pan (or similar pan). Pour boiling water roasting pan until it comes up to about 1 inch up the side of the glass baking dish.
7. Bake 50 minutes, or until pudding is firm and top is golden brown.
8. Cool slightly before serving.
9. While pudding is baking, make bourbon sauce. Pour warm sauce over pudding just before serving.