Q: I've never been fond of bread pudding; however, the bread pudding with whiskey sauce at Petite Auberge restaurant in the Toco Hill shopping center is out of this world. I would love to have the recipe. It is served in slices and is very light.

-- Mary L. Goodier, Duluth

A: When I called Petite Auberge chef Anthony Gropp to request this recipe, he proudly told me it had already been featured in the AJC. It ran in July 1999. With your enthusiastic inquiry, it's definitely worth reprinting.

This recipe shows how resourceful restaurants can be with unused food. Here excess rolls are used as the base of the bread pudding instead of the more typical cubed pieces of French bread.

-- Jeanne Besser, for the Journal-Constitution

DESSERT

Petite Auberge's New Orleans Bread Pudding

Makes 16 servings

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, plus 1/2 hour to rest

For the bread pudding:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups granulated sugar

8 French rolls, about 2 ounces each, one day old

1 cup raisins

2 cups half-and-half

7 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

For the whiskey sauce:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup whiskey (more if desired)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter. Use a little of the melted butter, about 2 tablespoons, to grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Coat the pan with a thin layer of sugar, about 2 tablespoons. Cut rolls into quarters or slices and arrange in the pan. Pour the remainder of the melted butter over the top of the rolls. Place raisins throughout the bread.

In a bowl, mix half-and-half, eggs, the remaining sugar and the vanilla. Carefully pour egg mixture over the rolls, making sure not to overflow. Cover the pan with foil and place in a water bath (a larger pan of water). Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until firm. Let the bread pudding sit for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the whiskey sauce: In a medium skillet, melt butter and whisk in sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add whiskey and blend well.

Serve warm with bread pudding.

Per serving: 470 calories, (percent calories from fat, 45), 6 grams protein, 58 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 24 grams fat, 152 milligrams cholesterol, 329 milligrams sodium.

Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us what you're looking for and perhaps we can get it. If we succeed, we'll have the recipe tested and adapted for the home kitchen, if necessary. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, along with address and phone number, to:

Mail: Food Department, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 72 Marietta St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30303.

E-mail: menu@ajc.com. Fax: 404-526-5509.