Banana Foster Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

Bread and syrup

• 8 cups challah or brioche cubes (2.5 cm each; about 340 g)
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 0.5 cups tightly packed dark brown sugar
• 0.5 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1 tbsp natural vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Cream

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups whole milk
• 0.5 cups tightly packed dark brown sugar
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1 tbsp natural vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 large eggs + 6 yolks
• 1 cup raw pecans, chopped
• 5 ripe bananas

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Bread and syrup:
   
   Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet in the oven until they begin to dry out and harden, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 22x32 cm baking pan with butter.
4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. Combine the butter, brown sugar, cream, rum, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts, 1-2 minutes.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
6. Cream:
   
   In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, milk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, rum, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, whole eggs, and egg yolks. Add the bread, pecans, and half the syrup and stir to coat the bread completely (save the other half for later). Cover and let soak for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread into the liquid to ensure all cubes are coated.
7. Slice 4 bananas into thin rounds and stir into the bread mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the custard is set and the surface of the pudding is golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool in the dish for 10 minutes.
8. Thinly slice the remaining banana and arrange it on top of the bread pudding. Drizzle with the remaining syrup. Serve the pudding warm, at room temperature, or cold. Top with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.