Slow Cooked Banana Bread Pudding

Slow-Cooked Banana Bread Pudding
From Art of the Slow Cooker: 80 Exciting New Recipes by Andrew Schloss, published by Chronicle Books
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in small pieces, divided
2 ripe bananas, finely chopped
3/4 cup sugar, divided
7 slices firm bread, white or whole wheat, cut in 1-inch squares
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the bananas and cook until they begin to soften.  Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves.  Toss the bananas and bread together in a mixing bowl and mound in a 1-1/2 quart soufflé dish; set aside. I have found a 1-1/2 quart soufflé dish, with a diameter of less than 7 inches, fits in most large (6-quart or larger) slow cookers.

2. Add the milk to the saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Stir 1/2 cup sugar into the milk until it dissolves; stir in the vanilla and salt; remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. 

3. Stir about 1/3 of the milk mixture into the eggs with a whisk, then stir the mixture back into the remaining milk.  Pour over the bread and bananas. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap place a saucer small enough to fit inside the rim of the soufflé dish on top of the bread.  If the weight of the saucer is not sufficient to submerge the bread beneath the surface of the milk put another saucer on top.  Set aside for about 20 minutes until the bread has soaked up must of the milk.  Remove the saucer(s) and the plastic wrap.

4. Mix the nutmeg and cinnamon with the remaining sugar and sprinkle over the surface of the pudding. Dot the top of the pudding with the remaining butter and cover the top of the dish loosely with foil. 

5. Place in the slow cooker and pour enough boiling water into the crockery around the soufflé dish to reach 1-inch up the side of the soufflé dish. Cover the top of the cooker with a folded kitchen towel and top with the lid.  Cook for 2 to 3 hours on high until a tester inserted in the center comes out with just a few specks clinging to it.  Remove the pudding from the cooker and cool for at least 10 minutes or to room temperature.

6. Preheat a broiler. Place the pudding under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat.  Broil until the top browns lightly, 4 to 5 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.