Banana Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

Posted by Chyrel at recipegoldmine.com 10/3/2001 9:03 am

Source: The Farm House Cookbook, Susan Herrmann Loomis, 1991

Yield: 6 servings

Bread Pudding:
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
5 (1/2-inch thick) slices fresh banana bread
3 large bananas, cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds

Rum Sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup water

Garnish:
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

Generously butter a 12-cup ovenproof baking dish.

To make the custard, whisk the milk, cream and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and the whole egg one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla, nutmeg and salt, and set aside.

Cut four slices of the banana bread vertically into 1-inch-wide fingers. Arrange an even layer of bread fingers on the bottom of the prepared dish, cutting and fitting them to cover the bottom. It is fine if they curve slightly up the sides of the dish. Cover the bread slices with an even layer of banana slices, and then pour enough custard over the bread and bananas to cover them. Repeat the layers of bread and bananas. Cut the remaining slice of banana bread into cubs, and sprinkle these over the bananas, press down slightly on the bread cubes, and cover. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the pudding until it is almost solid through, about 45 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake until the cubes of banana bread on the top are golden, an additional 15 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and cool it on a wire rack.

While the bread pudding is cooling, make the sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar, lemon juice, rum and water, and bring to a rolling boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken and the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and transfer it to a serving pitcher. Serve along with the slightly cooled banana bread pudding and whipped cream, if you like.