White Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

Here is one of my favorites and I have used this in several restaurants:

5 egg yolks
14 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound white chocolate
1/2 pound French bread, cut into cubes
2/3 cups vanilla extract
1 banana

For each serving:
1 ounce of crème anglaise
1 ounce chocolate sauce
4 ounces whipped cream
1 fresh mint sprig
Caramel halo

Heat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, combine yolks and sugar. In a saucepan, bring milk and heavy cream to a boil. Melt white chocolate over a double boiler. Add a little of the milk mixture to the yolk mixture to bring them up to temperature. Combine all of the milk mixture with the yolk mixture.

Slice banana into rounds. Add melted chocolate to the milk and yolk mixture. In a large bowl, combine cubed bread, bananas, vanilla extract and the milk mixture. Scoop mixture into well-greased 10-ounce soufflé molds. Bake 45 minutes.

To serve, remove from mold and place in the center of a pool of crème anglaise. Add a scoop of whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Add mint and caramel halo.

To make your own caramel garnish, lay out parchment paper on work surface. In pan over low heat, melt 2 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup and 1 cup water, swirling gently to dissolve. Increase heat to high and boil syrup, gently swirling caramel as it begins to color. When caramel reaches a boil, add juice of half a lemon. Using a pastry brush, brush down sides of pan with water as syrup begins to form (this will prevent syrup from crystallizing). Shock syrup by placing pan briefly in an ice bath, then transfer it to counter top. Working quickly, drizzle caramel over paper in a tight design. If caramel thickens in pan, reheat over medium-high heat until softened.

Yield: 4 generous servings.

I usually add chopped macadamia nuts to the top!