I recently made a pecan banana nut bread. The loaf came out so moist and tender that I started to think of ways of using it in an even more decadent dessert. And, well, with bananas being the central ingredient, the idea of bananas foster over the banana bread sounded really good. But, I decided to up the decadence a bit more by turning the bread into a bread pudding. I have no idea how many calories are in a single serving of this dessert…but let’s just say a lot. This is definitely a special occasion dessert. Because, otherwise, you’d gain a ton of weight eating this on a regular basis. Please let me know how you like it.
Bananas Foster Banana Nut Bread Pudding
three recipes coming together for one special dessert
Banana Nut Bread Pudding
Ingredients
1 loaf Pecan Banana Nut Bread (recipe below)
2 cu Half & Half
2 tbl Butter, melted
1/2 cu Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt
2 lg Eggs, beaten
1/3 cu Golden Raisins (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Slice bread and cube it into 1-inch pieces. Arrange bread on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, until the bread has dried out and has some crispy edges. Remove from oven and cool.
Heat half and half in a microwave on on a stove top until just warm to the touch, not boiling. Pour into a mixing bowl and add melted butter and sugar. Stir to combine and allow it to cool slightly. Add vanilla, cinnamon, salt and eggs (and raisins if you prefer). Stir to combine.
Place bread pieces in a large bowl and pour half and half mixture over it. Allow mixture to soak for 15 minutes. Butter or spray an 8” square baking pan. Pour soaked bread into pan. Spread mixture evenly and press it into corners. Bake for 40-45 minutes until pudding is firm on top and slightly springy when press with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Bananas Foster
adapted from the recipe at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans
4 servings
Ingredients
4 tbl Unsalted Butter
3/4 cu Light Brown Sugar
1/4 cu Banana Liqueur
4 Bananas, cut in long diagonals
1/4 cu Dark Rum
Vanilla Ice Cream
Method
Place butter and sugar in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Stir until mixture is combined and bubbly. Add banana liqueur being very carful not to spill any over the open flame. Stir until bubbles subside. Add bananas and sauté until bananas are soften, just a minute or so. Also very carefully add dark rum. Standing away from the pan ignite the rum with a long handled lighter. Let flames subside.
Assembly
Place a slice of bread pudding in the center of a serving bowl. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Spoon 1/4 of the bananas and sauce over the ice cream and pudding.
Pecan Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients
1 1/2 cu All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3/4 cu Chopped Pecans
3 very Ripe Bananas, peeled
6 tbl Unsalted Butter, softened
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 cu Granulated Sugar
1/4 cu Brown Sugar
1 lg Egg
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together, flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and pecans in a large bowl and set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, mash bananas and butter together until well incorporated. There still may be lumps, but that’s ok. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar and stir until combined. Add egg and vanilla extract. Continue to stir until all ingredients are well blended. Gradually add flour mixture in batches and continue to stir with each addition.
Grease a 4” x 8” loaf pan with butter or us a baking spray. Pour batter into the pan and smooth out until evenly distributed in the pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for about an hour until a toothpick (or thin wooden skewer) inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Then, remove the loaf from the pan and allow it to cool fully before slicing.[youtube id=”uOs30G_HWPw” width=”600″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””]