Chocolate Espresso Bread Pudding

Lightly butter a 13 x 9-inch (3 L) glass baking dish and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate, 2 cups (500 mL) of the cream, sugar, espresso and butter and melt over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place slices of bread on a cutting board and cut off crusts. Cut each slice diagonally into 4 triangles. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs until blended. Gradually pour in chocolate mixture in a thin stream, whisking well to combine. Spoon a 1/2 inch (1 cm) layer of chocolate mixture over bottom of prepared dish. Place half the bread triangles over the chocolate, overlapping slightly as you go. Pour half of the remaining chocolate mixture over bread, then cover with remaining bread in same pattern as before. Pour remaining chocolate mixture over the top. Press the bread down all over with a fork to allow mixture to coat bread evenly. Allow dish to cool for 10 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or for up to 48 hours.

To serve, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove plastic wrap from dish and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until top is crunchy and pudding is set but pudding-like in the center. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

In a chilled bowl, whip remaining cream and serve with warm pudding.