New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bananas Foster Sauce

• 6 cups (1.4 L) 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces day-old French bread
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups (473 mL) milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg, if desired
• 1/4 cup (57 g) butter
• 1/2 cup (114 g) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) creme de banana liqueur, if desired
• 3 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 cup (59 mL) warm dark rum

1. Heat oven to 350F (180C) with oven rack in middle.
2. Lightly spray 9 x 9-inch (5 x 5-cm) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place bread in a baking dish.
4. Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl until blended.
5. Slowly beat in milk.
6. Strain milk mixture through a mesh strainer, and pour over bread.
7. Let dish stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, or until bread has absorbed the milk mixture.
8. Press any bread that is not moist into the liquid.
9. Bake 45 to 55 minutes or until set in the center and a knife inserted near center comes out clean although it will be wet.
10. Cool slightly before serving warm with the sauce, or cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
11. To Make the Sauce:
12. Melt butter in 9-inch (5 cm) skillet.
13. Add brown sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until a sauce forms.
14. Stir in creme de banana.
15. Add banana slices and heat until warm.
16. Ignite the warm rum and pour into the sauce.
17. Cut pudding into squares and place in individual serving dishes.
18. Spoon the hot sauce over the pudding.

bread, sugar, vanilla, eggs, milk, nutmeg, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, creme de banana liqueur, bananas, rum

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/new-orleans-bread-pudding-with-bananas-foster-sauce (may not work)