Bananas Foster Bread Pudding…A Rabalais Favorite!

To say that my bananas foster bread pudding is a Rabalais family favorite is just a little misleading.  Not because it isn’t a favorite of my big Cajun family, but it is an instant favorite of anyone who tries it!!  It is tried and true, chere…if you don’t believe me, just make up a little batch!  I double dog dare you!!

I’ll let you in on a little secret too…you can serve this beautiful bananas foster bread pudding for brunch too, because it is layered like a french toast casserole.  Sometimes I leave out the rum for the brunch casserole, and sometimes I don’t.  I’m a rebel, you can’t stop me *insert maniacal laugh here*!!

As a matter of fact, I made this and served it the other day for the most memorable brunch I’ve had in a very long time!  My oldest monkey, Kieran (age 7), had his first friend spend the night.  My dear friend and her little boy both came for the sleepover, and it was like the perfect little stay-cation!!  Kieran and Carson get along so beautifully that they are a joy to watch, but even better, all the monkeys (except Charlie P.) played great together!  Charles is a little too young to keep up with the big kids, but Mitchell and Annalise never felt left out for one minute.  It was such a fun time, I can’t wait to do it again!

So…for our brunch, my sweet friend Cari, my mom, and I splurged on bananas foster brunch casserole, hot coffee, fresh fruit, and bananas foster bread pudding with ice cream for dessert.  See… if you do it that way, you can actually eat it twice!  Heeheehee!! 

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding:

In a large saucepan, mix the following ingredients and cook over medium high heat until bubbly, then turn down to lowest heat setting.

• 1 stick of butter
• 4 cups sliced bananas
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of salt

Once heat has been turned down to low, stir in 3 tablespoons dark rum.

For this recipe you will use one long loaf of chewy French bread, the loaf needs to be long and thin.  Chewy Italian bread can be substituted if necessary.  Slice the loaf into 3/4 inch slices, do not discard any of the bread.  If you have personal souffle dishes, they are perfect for making a pretty plated dish.  If you don’t have, or prefer not to use souffle cups, this recipe should fill up a 9×12 casserole dish.  Spray the inside of your dish with cooking spray, then lay the bread slices along the bottom in one layer.  If using souffle cups, one slice of bread should fit pretty easily into the bottom of each cup.  I trimmed the sides a little, but I put the trimmed pieces into bare spaces left around the bread.

In a cold metal or ceramic mixing bowl, mix the following on high until frothy and thickened:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Spoon some of the custard mixture over the bottom bread layer until the bread is fully saturated (around 1/4 cup).  There should be more liquid than bread, but the bread should still be visible and squishy to touch.  On top of this layer, spoon a healthy amount of your bananas foster mixture (about 1/3 inch deep).  You want to leave about 1 cup of bananas foster to spoon over the top of the casserole before serving.  Now, place a final piece of your french bread as your third layer and spoon the custard over the bread until it is saturated and squishy.  You might have some left over custard, just make sure the dish is full and the bread is saturated.

It is very important to bake these in a water bath to keep the pudding from over-cooking and drying out.  To bake in a water bath, place your puddings, or casserole dish into a larger dish and fill the larger dish 2/3 full of regular water.  Gently place the water bath and puddings/casserole into your oven, preheated to 375°.  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then lightly cover with foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted and withdrawn cleanly.

Allow casserole to cool in the water bath for 5-10 minutes before attempting to remove from dish.  To remove individual puddings, insert a small knife and cut around the entire edge of the dish.  Turn the cup over onto your serving dish and slowly lift the dish away, shaking a bit if necessary.  Spoon some of the bananas foster mixture on top and add some vanilla ice cream on the side.

This warm, sweet, dessert is a treasured favorite of generations of Louisianans, and I am proud to share it with you!  I hope you enjoy my family’s favorite with your sweet family!