Who’s Brenda?

Here in Massachusetts, there’s a local chain of restaurants called the Piccadilly Pub. It’s not a restaurant that ever causes me to rave and wax rhapsodic about its menu items. But it’s a reliable restaurant with reasonable prices for generally good fare. However, recently we stopped in at the Pic up near UMASS Medical Center (near the intersection of Shrewsbury Street and Route 9) for a quick meal. After we finished our main meal, the waitress asked if we’d like dessert. Chuck ordered “Brenda’s Bread Pudding”. I have nothing against bread pudding, but rarely order dessert out in a restaurant unless chocolate is a key ingredient, so I passed. The waitress, obviously much more intelligent than I am, brought Chuck’s generous serving of “Brenda’s Bread Pudding” with two spoons! Chuck took a bite and got a look on his face that said “YUM”. He kindly slid the plate over toward me. The warm, creamy, custardy bread pudding was swirled with cinnamon, dotted with plump raisins and drizzled over all with a caramel sauce. I dipped the tip of my spoon into the sauce and immediately was transported back to my grandparents’ living room. Gagee and Gramps always had a dish of cellophane wrapped Kraft Caramels on an end table. This sauce tasted exactly like them. The bread pudding was excellent. And, surprisingly, the addition of the caramel sauce did not make the whole dessert cloyingly sweet. It just all went together very well. There was nary a drop of chocolate in sight, but it was an extremely satisfying dessert. By the way, I think Brenda’s version may be a seasonal special, so you’d do well to swing by sooner rather than later.

Now, who’s this Brenda and how do I get her recipe?

Update: DancingMorganMouse kindly left a recipe for her killer caramel sauce in the comments section. Thanks Morgan!