Chai-spiced croissant pudding with bananas (21/10/21)
I made this on the fly over the holiday weekend using stuff I already had in my kitchen. Spare the $5 croissants from the fancy patisseries, this recipe is meant to use the supermarket croissants that come in bulk. I use the ones from Costco because they’re pretty soft to begin with and act as a better sponge for the custard-y sauce (my mother often buys a pack of them to split with other members of the family). I use the chai blend from local company Sanjeev Masala Co. (I was sent a spice kit when I wrote about the family behind it) but you can find it at any Indian grocer, or you can easily make your own blend especially if you have access to a Bulk Barn and can just buy spices by the teaspoons.
Just using cinnamon is fine if that’s all you have on hand, but the mixture of other spices in a chai add a more robust flavour. My family doesn’t like the taste of booze, but you can add a splash or two of dark rum when whipping the custard if you like.
Ingredients
4-5 croissants
2 sliced bananas
2 cups whipping cream
4 large eggs
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp chai spice, plus more for dusting
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a medium-sized baking dish, tear croissants into bite-sized pieces and place them in an even layer in the dish. Tuck the slices of banana between the croissant pieces. Set it aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, brown sugar, chai and vanilla until everything is incorporated. Pour the mixture over the baking dish, making sure it fills every crevice. Use your fingers to poke down any pieces of croissant sticking out into the liquid (it doesn’t have to be submerged, but getting it moist helps the croissant from burning as it bakes). Sprinkle a bit of chai spice on top for extra colour and flavour.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the croissants are slightly browned and the custard has mostly set but a bit wobbly when you shake the pan.
Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving (screw whip cream, go with ice cream if you want to pair it with something). For leftovers, let it cool completely before refrigerating in an airtight container for up to five days. To reheat, warm it up in the oven at 300F until warm in the centre or just use the microwave.