| 1 | Chef frank brigtsen of brigtsen"s restaurant in uptown new orleans is a fantastic cross between the classic bread pudding and bananas foster, the great flaming bananas and ice cream dessert. |
| 2 | preheat the oven to 300°F. |
| 3 | Put the french bread pieces into a 9x12x2 inch baking pan. |
| 4 | In a blender or food processor, blend the eggs, milk, 2/3 cup of sugar, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg and ?teaspoon of the vanilla until smooth. |
| 5 | Pour this mixture over the french bread pieces. |
| 6 | Fold in the raisins and the pecans and let the mixture set for 20 minutes. |
| 7 | Top with small pieces of the butter. |
| 8 | cover the pudding with aluminum foil and place the pan into a larger pan. |
| 9 | Add warm water to a depth of 1 inch in the larger pan. |
| 10 | Bake for 1 hour. |
| 11 | Remove the foil and bake uncovered for 15 minutes until set. |
| 12 | in a deep, medium bowl, whisk the cream just until it begins to thicken. |
| 13 | Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and ?teaspoon vanilla. |
| 14 | Continue whisking unti soft peaks form. |
| 15 | Cover and chill. |
| 16 | banana rum sauce heat a large saute pan or skillet over low heat. |
| 17 | Add the butter, sugar, bananas, cinnamon and nutmeg. |
| 18 | Moving the skillet back and forth, cook until the butter and sugar become creamy and the bananas begin to soften, about one minute. |
| 19 | Remove the skillet from heat and add the rum and the liqueur. |
| 20 | Return the pan to the heat. |
| 21 | Tilt the pan, avert your face and and light the liquid with a long match. |
| 22 | Shake the skillet until the flames subside. |
| 23 | Add the vanilla, remove from heat and keep warm. |
| 24 | to serve, place a large scoop of bread pudding in the middle of each serving plate or bowl. |
| 25 | Place 2 slices of banana on each plate and top with about 3 tablespoons of sauce. |
| 26 | Spoon the whipped cream over the bread pudding and serve immediately. walt mm |
