I'm a banana lover!

Caramel banana bread pudding

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes plus soaking time for the pudding

Servings: 8

Note: Adapted from Cafe 14. The restaurant serves the bread pudding with caramel sauce and whipped cream.

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups lightly packed (13 ounces) brown sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Salt

3 bananas (overripe is preferred), peeled and coarsely mashed with a fork

6 cups diced croissants, from about 3 croissants diced into 1/2-inch cubes

3 eggs

1. In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cook, stirring to dissolve. Stir in the cream, vanilla and a pinch of salt and gently bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. When the mixture has come to a boil, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. While the caramel cream cools, toss the bananas and croissants in a large mixing bowl.

3. Whisk the eggs into the caramel cream to form a custard base, strain and then pour the custard base over the croissants and gently toss. Place the mixture in a greased 9-inch round cake pan or an 8-inch square baking dish. Set the mixture aside to soak for 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place the cake pan into a larger baking dish; fill the larger baking dish with enough boiling water to come up the side of the cake pan halfway to form a water bath.

5. Bake the bread pudding until puffed and set, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and water bath, and cool slightly before serving. For a crisp topping, place the cake pan under the broiler just until it begins to brown and crisp on top, about 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the broiler.

Each serving: 673 calories; 6 grams protein; 76 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 40 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 206 mg. cholesterol; 62 grams sugar; 243 mg. sodium.

You could find it here:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sos-20100513,0,5579540.story

Can't wait to try it out!