Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Banana chocolate chip bread pudding, for the morning after (also known as 'Better than make-up sex' bread pudding)

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Update, April 2020: I've made banana chocolate chip bread pudding more times than I can count since this post first appeared a decade ago. It's getting us through our COVID-19 quarantine at the moment. The first time I made this recipe it was a peace offering. Now it's our ultimate comfort food. Enjoy.

Husbands and wives argue. It's just one of those things - a given of marriage, a by-product of sharing so many of the important issues and ho-hum mundanities of life. A little irritation leads to big words. Stubborn begets stubborn. Heels dig in. Movement and compromise seem unnatural, uncomfortable, even impossible. You reach a level of exasperation where you wonder how you ended up in this life and wildly consider all the possible avenues out of it. And then you leave the room, slam the door, hold your head in your hands, and fume. Or weep, depending on the particular situation and your particular personality.

Married people out there, I see you nodding your heads. And for all you smug singles who think this will never happen to you and your future spouse...I think you know what I'm going to say, so I won't bother.

I've heard the old saying about not going to bed angry, but that doesn't always work for me. When I get heated up, I need more time for my steam to dissipate. But ultimately I'm a peacemaker. Which is why, a few weeks ago, I made banana chocolate chip bread pudding early one morning before heading to work. We'd gone to bed mad, and I meant the bread pudding as my fragrant, sweet, silent apology. Which, fortunately, is how it was received. [April 2010]



Banana chocolate chip bread pudding
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 Tbsp Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur, or brandy
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 loaf challah, torn into small pieces (about 8 cups)
  • 2 ripe bananas, sliced or cut into small chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, cream, milk, liqueur and salt. Add the bread pieces, bananas, and chocolate chips and toss to combine thoroughly - you want all the bread covered with the custard mixture. Leave the bread pudding mixture in the bowl about 1 hour, mixing every 15 minutes to redistribute the ingredients.

Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray, then pour in the bread pudding mixture. Bake until the bread pudding is puffed up, golden brown on top and set in the center - when you jiggle the pan, the middle shouldn't wobble. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack at least 30 minutes. It will deflate as it cools, but that's normal, so don't be concerned.

Serve warm or at room temperature. I think whipped cream is gilding the lily, but if you like it, go ahead.

21 comments:

Celia Soudry said...

my god, that looks good. and nicely written. :)

Erika Kerekes said...

Thanks Celia!

Patti at Worth The Whisk said...

Yup, you nailed it, hon. 32 years over here; the storms still rage, and the calms thankfully come back again. Men are lucky; they have wives.

The Diva on a Diet said...

Oh yeah, we've been there! Only I can't say that I've ever been as good as you about offering up such a tasty apology. But you're on to something here. I'm going to file this away for later use ... because you just know there's going to be a need for it! LOL

Kim at Rustic Garden Bistro said...

Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who offers up edible goods to call a truce!!! :-)

And I'd gild the lily w' the whipped cream. :shrug:

[K]

Daniela said...

loved this post. made my heart smile.

Debby said...

Wow. Just linked here from Dr. Laura's facebook post and what Heaven! I am a huge fan of bread puddings sweet and savory, and that baked egg dish looks like a vast improvement over the pan-fried egg in a basket I grew up with. Bravo.

Erika Kerekes said...

@Debby, so nice to see you here, and thanks for your compliments! I love making new food friends!

@Daniela @Kim @Diva @Patti - so glad the girls understand. Although, in our relationship, I'm the one who get heated and spits fire - my other half is maddeningly calm and rarely reacts in kind. How does he do it? I have no idea.

Michael said...

Wow... I've made bread and butter pudding before with panettone before, but challah, banana and choc-chips! That looks fabulous!

Mac said...

now that's worth fighting for! I'll have to remember this little gem for the next "go around", cause you know they'll be one ;-0
Your man is a lucky fellow to have such a good cook in the house!

Erika Kerekes said...

@Mac - I'm the lucky one. He's a gem. But somehow, you're right, there's always conflict at some point. Good thing I can bake.

Sippity Sup said...

I found it and was actually quite touch by the sweet sentiment. GREG

Anonymous said...

I made this. It's super yummy. We're lactose intolerant, so I used almond milk. It was a success. I also added some walnuts. Thanks!

Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious said...

Looking for something to do with my dead-black bananas, and found this inspiration! Smiled at your peace offering.

Anonymous said...

Is there anything we can substitute the liquor for, and if so what could I use?

Erika Kerekes said...

@Anon - you can leave it out or use some vanilla extract. It won't have exactly the same flavor but it will still be delicious. :)

Kpowpow said...

About how long does this take in the oven?

Kpowpow said...

About how long in the oven?

Erika Kerekes said...

@Kpowpow it depends on what size baking dish you use, and how deep it is. Start checking it around 40 minutes, but it could take as long as an hour.

Caniche_Noir said...

Just wanted you to know that I pinned this recipe to Pinterest three years ago, and it's far and away my most repinned post (1501 repins and counting)!

Erika Kerekes said...

@Caniche_Noir that is a huge compliment! :) Thank you for pinning it!

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