Friday, March 4, 2011

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Rum Sauce + Cajun Fun on the Bayou

Mardi Gras is in full swing in Cajun country and I wanted to share this sinfully delicious dessert that I served to my house guests, before things really get crazy, this weekend. This recipe is one of my faves and is just heavenly, rich, and scrumptious. It's an adaptation of the famous New Orleans dessert, Bananas Foster, made into a decadent bread pudding, and is just perfect for your Mardi Gras buffet, or anytime you have an ahnvee for a little something sweet. Worth the calories, I promise you!  And for an extra bit of decadence, top with vanilla ice cream, and my caramel rum sauce! (recipe below)

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding w/ Caramel Rum Sauce

1 15 oz. loaf French bread, torn into pieces
3 large eggs
2 cups milk
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 large ripe bananas, sliced
1 tsp.vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbs.'s dark rum
2 tbs.'s banana liqueur (optional)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Tear bread into pieces in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and sugar, until well blended. Stir in vanilla extract, cinnamon, rum, liqueur, pecans, and bananas.

Pour mixture over bread pieces, mix well, and let stand for 10 minutes. Place mixture into a 13x9 inch, buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Place baking dish in a larger shallow baking pan filled with 2 inches of water.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden brown,  and a knife comes out clean. Cest bon, cher!


Caramel Rum Sauce

1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tbs.'s light or dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bring whipping cream to a light boil in large saucepan, over medium heat, stirring often. Add brown sugar and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until dissolved and smooth, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in rum, butter, pecans, and vanilla. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Ladle over bread pudding. Enjoy!

*****
Cajun Fun on the Bayou


After a fabulous Cajun breakfast of crawfish omelettes, sausage, and biscuits, we headed over to Vermilionville for a little Sunday afternoon fun. There was an old fashioned king cake demonstration going on,  when we arrived. The samples were divine!


It was a beautiful day and people were dining outdoors, on the porch, at the Sunday buffet in La Cuisine de Maman Restaurant.  About this time, I was wishing that I had not eaten that big breakfast. The menu was fab and very tempting, but we opted to dance, instead.


We could hear the Cajun music coming from the Performance Center, where the Sunday afternoon dance was already in progress. We had planned to meet some friends from Breaux Bridge and saw them on the dance floor. They were really "cutting the rug".


Here's a little clip that I took of the crowd. The Lafayette Rhythm Devils were really jammin'  and there was a whole lotta two-steppin' goin on. Oh the life of a Cajun is oh so fun!



Tonight we'll be going to the Friday night parade and then on to the Blue Moon Saloon, for a little live entertainment and dancing. And the next four days will be spent doing some serious Mardi Gras-ing, including a spin to New Orleans on Sunday. Wish that you all were here, but hope ya'll have a fabulous fun-filled weekend, whatever you do! Merci beaucoup for stopping by! Let the good times roll, cher, and have a Happy Mardi Gras! Cheers!

To view a live web cam of parades in New Orleans,  and all of the fun in New Orleans, including the French Quarter, for the next five days, click here. It's the next best thing to being there! Enjoy!

23 comments:

Joanne said...

Heavenly only begins to describe that Banana Bread Pudding, wow it looks good!

Wishing you lots of good weather and good company this fun weekend ... Enjoy :)

Pat Tillett said...

Oh my! Does that ever look good!
Have a great weekend...

Rae said...

The recipe sounds heavenly. Oh I wish I were there. I love Cajun music. Add in Mardi Gras and it sounds like perfection. I hope you have a lot of fun this weekend.

Cloudia said...

Heavenly!




Aloha from Waikiki


Comfort Spiral

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nanny said...

I would drive to LA for a bowl of your bread pudding....yum, yum.
I heard Kelly Ripa say that she in going to be in one of the parades this weekend.
Have fun, be safe!

p.s. a friend sent me a king cake a few years ago and it was just heavenly....i couldn't quit eating it!!!

Eddie Bluelights said...

I just get a piece of 'decadence' now and then in the form of vanilla ice cream LOL. I can only imagine your sinfully delicious receipees.
I am so glad you are enjoying yourself, Marguerite, but hey! Where do you get all your energy from? I'm worn out just reading and watching it!!! LOL . . . .but it gives me great pleasure to see people really enjoying thenselves especially my good Cajun bloging pal.
Loved the video and I wondered, I bet varicose veins stand no chance in Lafayette/New Orleans with all that fantastic leg exercise!!

Vagabonde said...

I’d love to be in NOLA for Mardi Gras – qu’elle fête! So I tremendously enjoy reading your blog – as it is like being there – well, almost. And you know that picture you show of the Bayou – well I did a double take, as it looks like the river Marne, in the suburb of Paris where my mother lived. Merci chère Marguerite.

Honey at 2805 said...

Your bread pudding sounds and looks so heavenly! Have a great weekend!!

kitchen flavours said...

Your bananan bread pudding looks so rich and yummy... the rum sauce looks so good..! Have a fun and enjoyable weekend!

Kat said...

Awesome! Thanks for the live feed site. I love to watch people have fun! Happy Mardi Gras to you too!

Marguerite said...

Joanne- Merci beaucoup for the lovely comment and wishes, cher! It's total decadence, both the bread pudding and Mardi Gras! :)

Pat- Thanks, so glad you like it and hope you give it a try! Hope you have a great weekend, too!

Rae- Thanks so much for your sweet comment! Mardi Gras is a blast and I wish that you could be here, too!

Cloudia- Merci, cher! Heavenly and decadent! Wish you were here, but hope you have a fab weekend, too! Thanks for coming by!

nanny- Thanks so much for the nice compliment, but it's so easy to make, you could be eating it in an hour! lol I know what you mean about King Cake. Totally addictive!

Eddie- Merci beaucoup for your kind comment, cher! My energy comes from my ancestors and it's all in the genes! lol And you are right about the varicose veins and no cellulite, either! lol Cheers!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I guess if you dance that much, you can wear off all the food. I don't know. Think I wouldn't be able to move. Enjoy the last days of Mardi Gras.

Linda Starr said...

Hope you are having a good one, that bread pudding looks wonderful, never heard of king cake.

Lisa said...

Talk about totally decadent! This sounds delicious to the max. Thanks for linking this up to Sweets for a Saturday.

Kathryn Magendie said...

I could eat that rum sauce right out the pot/bowl with a spoon - or over ice cream -ohhhhhhhhhhH!

Happy Mardi Gras down there in Looseeaner!

The Alchemist said...

wow, this bread pudding looks awesome!

I love Louisiana., I've been once before and loved it. It's nice to read about it.

Anonymous said...

YUM!!! That's all I can say! I enjoy your blog!

I have an award for you on my page!

http://my-bread-and-butter-2.blogspot.com/2011/03/7ladybugz.html

Marguerite said...

Vagabonde- So good to hear from you, cher! Merci for your sweet compliment and for stopping by! You will just have to come down for Mardi Gras, one of these years! Wow, the shots of the bayou are of different places on the Vermilion River.

Honey- Thanks so much, so glad that you like it and hope that you give it a try! It's very easy to make and so good. Thanks, it was fab!

kf- Thanks, it is sinfully delicious and I hope you make it! It was a very fun weekend, and it's not over yet! Wish you were here!

Kat- You're welcome, cher! I hope that it's working. It's getting crazy, but very happy! Merci for coming by! Cheers!

Midlife- The dancing takes care of it, but only if you eat small portions. lol That is the key! Thanks, I am enjoying every minute!

Linda- Thanks, we're having a blast and I wish that you were here! King Cake is fabulous! I have a link to the history of it and the recipe, on my latest post.

Martha said...

How awesome! Thanks for linking it up to the party! :-)

Magic of Spice said...

I hope you had amazing fun, as I expect you did :) This bread pudding is beyond amazing!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your Mardi Gras. I'll live vicariously until I'm there...just 2 weeks from now. A literary festival will be festive enough ;-)

Unknown said...

Your bread pudding looks incredible! Bananas foster is one of my hubby's favorites. He would go crazy for this!

Jessica | Cajunlicious said...

Hands down, one of my favorites! Looking forward to trying your recipe!