I am a sucker for desserts, and I have become heavily interested in pretty photos of food, cooking and baking creatively lately, and taking pictures of the finished product brings me such great creative satisfaction; plus it's a great way to keep track of some of your favorite recipes and the ones that were hits with your family...especially the hubby! Serving creative plates does not have to be enjoyed only at a nice restaurant..so take some time and serve yourself and your family with the 5 star treatment...you deserve it! So this past summer the hubby and I stayed at the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta, and we ordered room service for dessert much too late than needed(but hey, the little one was with the grands, and that only happens once in a blue moon for us). We had the best roasted banana bread pudding, and ever since, I have had it in the back of my mind to try to make it. So I gave it a try recently and it came out wonderfully & photographed nicely. Enjoy!
Roasted Banana Bread Pudding
1 loaf of whole wheat, Italian, or French bread
3 eggs
1 ½ C. Sugar
1 qt. Milk, half & half, or almond milk
1 ½ tbsp. Butter Nut Vanilla or Regular Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp Ginger
3 tbsp. Dark Rum or Rum Flavor
Cube the loaf of bread, put it in a bowl with the milk and set to the side. ( Let sit for at least 30 minutes if possible, but not necessary). Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, rum, and spices. Combine with bread mixture.
Turn out into a lightly greased 10X12 or 9X13 inch baking dish (I used a non-stick souffle dish here) and bake at 325 degrees until edges are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out nearly clean. Cool and serve with sweet rum sauce below and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Sweet Rum Sauce
3 C. Powdered Sugar
2 Tbsp. Rum Flavor
1/3 C. Vanilla
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until you reach a semi-thick sauce, resembling syrup. Add more vanilla or powdered sugar if needed.
