Test Kitchen - Banana Bread Pudding

One of the things I already know that I'm going to miss about Kenya is the ready supply of mini bananas here.  I don't know if it's because of their size or species... or if it has anything to do with the environment here in Africa, but they taste so much better than any of the bananas I've ever had in the States.  It's hard to describe, but I think they're actually tangier... almost lemony in flavor... and they have far better texture.  Because we're both fans, T and I have usually been going through about a hand of mini bananas per week.  But for some reason, this past week we hardly touched any.  With several of them rapidly becoming overripe, I was on the look out for a new dessert that I could turn the bananas into.  My search landed me at this banana bread pudding recipe which I made with toasted French baguettes and lactose free milk.  T loved it because it wasn't very sweet at all, but I could definitely see why a sauce would be necessary.  Though, if you're feeling lazy (like I was) a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of vanilla ice cream are just as good for adding that extra sweetness to send it over the top. 

In the States, many things come in somewhat standardized packaging... butter usually comes in sticks and yeast in packets for example.  But in Kenya (and in many other countries I imagine), packaging is not that standardized.  And so it's been increasingly annoying to run into recipes that call for a "half stick of butter" or "a satchel of gelatin."  I've come to greatly appreciate recipes that provide the gram measurement for these types of ingredients.  So for those of you who may be feeling me on this issue, I've gone ahead and converted some of the measurements for the banana bread pudding recipe here.  Hope this helps!

Banana Bread Pudding 
(adjusted from The Taste of Home recipe)
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups stale or toasted French or sourdough bread, cubed into 1-inch pieces
• 57 grams butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups of milk 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup bananas, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

Sauce

• 42.5 grams butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Place the bread cubes in a 2-qt casserole; pour melted butter over and toss to coat.  In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.  Stir in bananas. 
• Pour over bread cubes and stir to coat.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan.  Combine sugar and cornstarch; add to butter. Stir in milk and corn syrup.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla.  Serve warm sauce over warm pudding.