My Mother's Old Fashion Bread Pudding

Ingredients
Pudding:
1 pint of bread croutons, dry
1 pint of boiling milk
a piece of butter the size of an egg (about 4 Tbsp.)
1 t. of cinnamon
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 t. soda (ED: I assume this is baking soda)
4 eggs less the 2 egg whites

Hard Sauce:
1 cup of pulverized sugar
whites of 2 eggs
1/2 cupful of butter
1 tablespoon of brandy and nutmeg extract (or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract)


Directions
Pudding:
Pour over the bread croutons, 1 pint of boiling milk.
Add to this a piece of butter the size of an egg.
Add 1 t. of cinnamon, 1/2 c. sugar and 1/4 t. soda, dissolved in a little hot water.
Separate whites of 2 eggs and save for hard sauce.
Beat up 4 eggs less the 2 egg whites, very light and add last.
Turn all into a well buttered pudding dish. The size should be about 10 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 inches deep.
Sprinkle lightly on top with sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 350° for 3/4 of an hour.
Serve pudding warm with hard sauce.

Hard Sauce:
Beat until white and the consistency of thick cream, 1 cupful of pulverized sugar and 1/2 cupful of butter.
Add the whipped whites of 2 eggs and beat carefully until smooth, no grainy texture.
Flavor with 1 tablespoon of brandy and extract of nutmeg. (1 tablespoon of vanilla extract will do.)
Smooth into shape with a broad knife dipped in cold water.
Stamp with a wooden mold and place on ice until needed.

Serves 8