bananas foster bread pudding

Chef Jean-Paul’s Bananas Foster bread pudding combines Hawaiian rolls and croissants with a white-chocolate custard. A separately cooked banana, brown-sugar, dark-rum and banana-liqueur topping finishes this Louisiana Cookin’ version.

Heavy whipping cream, whole milk, granulated sugar and part of the kosher salt are heated just until bubbles form around the pan’s edges. The heat is turned off before white chocolate chips are whisked in; this warm mixture is gradually whisked into six egg yolks, two whole eggs, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

A butter-greased baking dish receives a layer of the cubed rolls and croissants. The remaining bread is stirred into the warm custard and spread over that layer, then the pudding cools, is covered and is refrigerated overnight before baking until firm in the centre and browned on top.

For the topping, a separate portion of unsalted butter melts with light brown sugar and the remaining quarter-teaspoon of salt. Sliced bananas cook in this mixture before dark rum and banana liqueur are added; the non-flambé route continues cooking briefly, then the bananas are lightly mashed while still chunky.

The baked bread pudding is served with the banana mixture. An optional dusting of confectioners’ sugar finishes the bread-and-custard base beneath its banana topping.