Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

 

Opening day of the baseball season always makes me nervous. That’s why I generally plan to do something and watch baseball in the periphery so as not to be let down. As luck would have it, I wasn’t, but I digress. This is a recipe that I have had around for ages. It’s from St. Louis’s “Feast” magazine. I had cut it out years ago with the intention of making it, and never did. I thought today would be a good day to do that, so I did. It is wonderful! You can read about how it came to be here.

 On a damp, chilly, windy day like today to be followed by a darned cold night, this is going to be a welcome evening addition with a cup of tea. By the way, I cut this recipe in half and baked it in an 8” x 8” square pan. It worked out perfectly. I’ll also add that the banana bread is good all on its own.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

As seen in Feast Magazine

Banana Bread (Yields 2 large loaves)

3¾ c. flour

1½ t. baking soda

4 overripe bananas

2¼ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

½ c. canola oil

4 large eggs

2 t. vanilla extract

5 oz. whole milk, divided

Custard

½ c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. vanilla extract

2 T. dark rum

4 large eggs

1 c. whole milk

3 c. heavy cream

Foster Sauce

½ c. unsalted butter

1 c. tightly packed brown sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

½ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. kosher salt

1 T. honey

¼ c. heavy cream

¼ c. banana liqueur*

¼ c. dark rum

1 c. pecan pieces, toasted

Preparation – Banana Bread:Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. **

 In a mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat bananas, brown sugar and salt on medium speed until smooth. With mixer running, add oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Reduce mixer to low, add ¹⁄₃ dry ingredients and ½ milk; repeat until fully incorporated. Divide evenly between 2 prepared pans; bake until golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes.

 

Preparation – Custard: In a mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients together until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Preparation – Foster Sauce: In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, heat all ingredients except alcohol and pecans until thick and bubbly, 5 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, add liqueur, rum and pecans. Allow to cool.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cube bread and add to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour custard over top and bake until firm, 45 to 60 minutes. Pour cooled sauce over bread pudding and bake 10 minutes more. Serve.

 *I did not have this and didn’t intend to buy it, so I just doubled up on the rum.

 **This is too much work. I just sprayed the heck out of the pan with Baker’s Joy.

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Apricot Scones

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According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apricot Scones are a menu favorite at The Barn, the restaurant on the grounds of the Thomas Sappington House Museum Complex in the county of Crestwood. Now, I have been to The Barn restaurant, and my experience was not a good one. However, I do love apricots, and I like a good scone, so I was willing to give these a try. The directions provided were unnecessarily tedious and long, so I updated them; I find the absolute best way to make a scone is in the food processor, so that’s what I did. These are indeed tasty and filling, and made a wonderful breakfast this morning.

 Apricot Scones

Recipe adapted from Feast Magazine

 

Flour, for work surface

2 c. flour

⅓ c. granulated sugar

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. baking soda

½ t. kosher salt

8 T. (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa’s dried apricots

½ c. toasted pecan pieces

½ c. sour cream

1 large egg

2 T. melted butter, for tops

⅓ c. Sugar in the Raw

 

Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Lightly dust a work surface with flour.

 Pulse apricots in food processor 4-5 times until diced small; empty into bowl. Pulse pecan halves 4-5 times until chopped; empty into bowl with apricots.

Into the food processor, place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until combined. Place butter cubes into food processor, and pulse until mixture forms a coarse meal. Add apricots and pecans, and pulse until blended.

 In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth, then add to the food processor. Pulse until it forms a large ball.

Place dough ball on floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch disc, smoothing sides as you go. 

 

 

Brush melted butter over the top and sides, then cover with sugar in the raw, pressing down lightly as you do.

 

Make four cuts into the top to create eight pie-shaped scones. Lift each one off of the work surface, lightly dipping the bottom into any accumulated butter and sugar, and place on baking sheet. 

 

Bake until golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.

 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

  

Sugarfire Smoke House Rub

Last November I shared with you the recipe for a truly delicious coffee barbecue sauce from one of my favorite local barbecue joints, Sugarfire Smoke House. The recipe, that you can find here, contained an ingredient that, unless you live locally, you did not have, namely their special rub (available for sale in their restaurants). I had made the suggestion that, in lieu of the authentic version, you use the seasoning in Emeril's coffee barbecue sauce. Well, I have great news! Thanks to a recent issue of a wonderful, local foodie magazine called Feast, the recipe for this special rub is now available, and you can be 100% authentic and make a sauce that is 100% delicious. Emeril, step aside, this rub beats yours hand down! No wonder this sauce is so good, with 15 ingredients in the rub, it just can't help but have lots of flavor. Obviously this recipe makes a huge amount, so I suggest cutting it way back. When I made it, I used just 1/4 cup of paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, etc. It still makes a lot, but I will be using this stuff on everything.

Sugarfire Smoke House Rub

Recipe by Mike Johnson

Print Recipe

1 cup paprika

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup garlic powder

½ cup onion powder

½ cup chile powder

2 Tbsp. cayenne

1 cup freshly ground black pepper

4 cups sugar

½ cup dry mustard

¼ cup cumin

3 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. coriander

3 Tbsp. oregano

2 Tbsp. allspice

2 Tbsp. ginger

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and use as spice rub for your favorite barbecue or grilling recipes. Yields 10 cups.

This post is linked to:

Bouquet of Talent Party   
Amaze Me Monday

Munching Mondays
Busy Mondays

Metamorphosis Monday 

Cooking & Crafting Monday