BREAD PUDDING
There was a time when dessert was often overlooked within the New Orleans restaurant scene.
Dining patrons were prone to eat and drink heartily throughout the savory portions of their meals and they seemed to regard desserts as little more than adequate support for birthday and anniversary candles as a finale.
Then, Bread Pudding, an elegant and versatile dish came onto the scene and changed New Orleans into a “Dessert City!” This recipe for bread pudding is light, airy, and has a texture that resembles French “pain perdu” (French toast).
If you do not have a “large muffin” tin, several one-cup ramekins that have been well-buttered and placed on a baking sheet may be used to cook these puddings.
- 11 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1-quart whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Twenty-four 4-inch slices of French baguette
- 1 pound salted butter
- 1 pound light brown sugar
- 4 bananas
- ½ cup praline liqueur
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon and whisk until well blended. In a nonstick oversized muffin pan, place 2 slices of the bread into the bottom of each muffin cup. Pour the egg and milk mixture into each muffin cup. Allow the bread to absorb the mixture and repeat the process until the bread is saturated and the muffin cup is full (it might take 3 or 4 fillings to totally saturate the bread and fill the cup). Bake the pudding mixture for 35 minutes, or until the pudding has turned golden and has set in the pan.
While the pudding is in the oven, melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the light brown sugar and whisk over the heat until smooth. Slice the bananas, stir them into the sauce, then add the praline liqueur. Reduce the heat to low, in order to keep the sauce warm.
When the puddings in the muffin holes are done, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Invert the muffin pan to remove the puddings and expose the custard on the bottom.
Place one bread pudding in the center of each dessert plate and ladle the sauce onto the pudding.
Serve immediately.
(Source: ARTS&FOOD’S “LOUISIANA NORTH, CENTRAL, & SOUTH” COOKBOOK)
