Bread Pudding

Believe it or not I had never had bread pudding until college, when my friend Alex took me to Cyrano's for what she described as the "world's best bread pudding." If that were true it would unfortunately mean that my bread-pudding enjoyment was all downhill from there, but regardless, it was amazing. Along with the tofu breakfast hash I made this bread pudding for brunch with some friends this morning and it got good reviews! Maybe not Cyrano's...but a girl can dream.

Bread Pudding (serves 4-6)

8 cups day-old country French bread, cubed*
1 can light coconut milk
1/2 cup soy cream
1 ripe banana (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

*For this I used about 2/3 of a 20 oz. loaf of bread. Use what you've got.

The night before you want to serve the bread pudding, cut the bread into cubes and let it sit out overnight on a baking tray. If you're short on time and working with fresh bread, just cube it and toast it lightly in the oven until it is dry.

Blend together the coconut milk, soy cream, banana, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and brown sugar to make the batter. Transfer the bread cubes to a large bowl and combine thoroughly with the batter. Stir in the walnuts and pecans (optional, or save them to sprinkle on top). Preheat the oven to 400 F and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the mixture into a large pan and sprinkle brown sugar on top and the nuts, if you didn't stir them in. Bake for 30 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.