Preheat Oven To 350F 15 minutes before baking, with the rack in the center of the oven. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish. Have a kettle of boiling water ready and a baking pan large enough to hold the souffle dish. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and sugar until light. Mix in the butter, the half-and-half, brandy, vanilla, nutmeg and salt. Place the bread in the souffle dish and pour the custard over it. Press the bread into the custard so it gets well soaked. Let rest 20 minutes. Put the souffle dish in the baking pan and place on the oven rack. Pour boiling water into the baking pan so it comes halfway up the sides of the souffle dish. Bake until the custard is softly set in the center, about 1 hour. Remove from the water bath. Serve warm or at room temperature with Cranberry-Maple Sauce. Once cooled, the pudding can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil with several slits in it. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature with Cranberry-Maple Sauce.

Cranberry-Maple Sauce: Bring the maple syrup and sugar to a boil in a small non-aluminum pan, then cook for 3 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook until their skins burst and they begin to pop, 6 to 8 minutes, or slightly longer if they are frozen. Cut the butter into 3 pieces. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding another. Add the bourbon. Sauce can be served immediately or refrigerated for up to a week. Reheat gently and thin with 2 to 3 tablespoons water before serving.

Abby Mandel - Prodigy Guest Chefs Cookbook