Bananas Foster Bread Pudding - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 loaves French bread, 1 foot long
1 quart heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups light brown sugar
12 egg yolks
3 bananas
1 cup rum
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons vanilla extract
of fresh mint, for garnish
Foster Sauce
4 1/2 cups unsalted butter
4 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 cups golden rum
2 1/4 cups banana liqueur
8 bananas, sliced lengthwise and in half

Preparation

Slice French bread and dry in a 200F oven for 20 minutes.
Combine remaining pudding ingredients in a large container and blend well with a hand mixer.
Thinly slice dried French bread and place in an 8 x 10 x 2-inch pan.
Pour pudding into pan and mush all bread by hand so that the liquid is absorbed and the bread becomes very soggy.
Be sure to flatten all of the lumps.
Cover pan with foil and bake at 300 F for 2 1/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the pudding comes out dry.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Set aside to cool.
Foster Sauce:
Melt butter in a sauce pot.
Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
Add the rum and ignite.
Allow the flames to subside.
Then, stir in the banana liqueur.
Add fresh bananas and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sauce coats the spoon.
To Serve: Cut bread pudding into 3 1/2 x 3 1/2-inch squares.
Top warm bread pudding with Foster sauce and garnish with mint leaves.