| 3 medium bananas 1-pound loaf French bread, torn or cubed 1 cup rough chopped pecans 1-1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup dark rum 4-oz (1-stick) sweet butter 4 eggs 1-1/2 cup granulated sugar 4 cups whole or slim milk 3/4 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 tsp. cinnamon Pre-heat oven to 375-degrees F Spray a roasting pan with vegetable spray, pierce the bananas and spray with vegetable spray Roast the bananas until tender, about 25-30 minutes Cool the bananas, enough to handle and peel, mash (about 1-1/2 cups) and set aside Butter or vegetable spray a oven proof baking dish, set aside Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees F Place the raisins in a bowl Warm the rum and pour over the raisins to cover, let stand for about 20 minutes Mix together the bread & the nuts and place in prepped baking dish, cut the butter into small bits and dot on top of the bread mixture Bake for 2 to 3 minutes until the butter has melted Remove the bread from the oven and reduce the heat to 325-degrees F In a bowl combine the eggs & sugar, whisk until no longer grainy (about 1 minute) Mix together the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt & banana purée & slowly add to the egg mixture Add the rum soaked raisins to the bread mixture, mix to combine Pour the milk/egg mixture evenly over the bread and with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, pushing down the bread, to absorb the liquid, cover with foil and let stand (at room temperature) for about 15-20 minutes Before baking, once again push down the bread to make sure the bread has absorbed most of the liquid Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes The last 10-15 minutes remove the foil from the pudding and bake until slightly puffy and the top is slightly browned Cool on rack before serving Serve with warm Dark Rum Sauce Yields about 12-15 servings |
| Oven Roasted Banana-Nut Bread Pudding |