Lenard Rubin from the The Vig & The Vig Uptown shares his recipes for Banana Bread Pudding and Crème Brûlée Napoleon with Strawberry Sauce.

Banana Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
6  cups  Day-Old French Bread or Ciabatta (cut into 1” cubes)
9  tbsp.  Shamrock Farms Unsalted Butter (softened)
1   cup  Brown Sugar  
1/2   cup  Granulated Sugar
1/4  tsp.  Ground Nutmeg
3/4   tsp.  Ground Cinnamon
4  each  Bananas (ripe but firm)
4  large  Eggs (beaten lightly)
3  cups  Shamrock Farms Heavy Cream
1  cup  Shamrock Farms Half and Half
1   tsp.  Vanilla Extract
1  cup   Pecan Pieces (lightly toasted in oven)
1  pinch  Salt
2  cups  Banana Chip-Graham Cracker Mixture (recipe to follow)
2  tbsp.  Clarified Butter

Procedure:

1. Butter a 10” x 12” pan with 1 tablespoon of the Shamrock Farms butter
2. Add the remaining Shamrock Farms butter to a sauce pan and melt over medium heat.
3. Add ½ of the brown and granulated sugars and all of the nutmeg and cinnamon, stir until dissolved (approx. 2 minutes)
4. Add the bananas and cook for a couple of minutes, mashing them in the pan as you cook and stir…..cool off
5. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, remaining sugars, Shamrock Farms heavy cream, Shamrock Farms half and half and vanilla
6. Add the cooled banana mixture, pecan pieces, salt and the bread to the large bowl and toss all together thoroughly
7. Pour mixture into the buttered dish and bake in a 300°F oven to for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Check middle with a toothpick to make sure that all liquid is evaporated.
9. Let cool for 20 minutes, then place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours
10. Using a 2 ½ “ biscuit cutter, cut out cylinders of bread pudding, then cut in thirds horizontally
11. Coat with banana chip-graham cracker mixture and sauté lightly in clarified butter until golden brown on both sides of each circle

Banana Chip-Graham Cracker Mixture

Ingredients:

1 cup  Dried Banana Chips
1 cup  Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 tbsp.  Brown Sugar
6 tbsp.  Shamrock Farms Unsalted Butter (melted)
  
Procedure:

1. Process banana chips in a food processor until fine
2. Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar, pulse until incorporated
3. Remove to a mixing bowl and add the melted Shamrock Farms unsalted butter
4. Mix together until thoroughly incorporated

Crème Brûlée

Ingredients:
Part 1:

2 each  Egg Yolks
2 tbs.  Granulated Sugar
1-1/4 cups  Shamrock Farms Heavy Cream
1 each  Vanilla Bean

Procedure:
Part 1:

1. Whisk yolks and sugar together in bowl until smooth and light
2. Place Shamrock Farms heavy cream into a small sauce pot, split vanilla bean in ½ and scrape into pot then add the scraped bean as well
3. Bring Shamrock Farms heavy cream mixture to a boil
4. Whisk hot Shamrock Farms heavy cream mixture into egg-sugar mixture until smooth

Ingredients:
Part 2:

2 large  Eggs
3 tbsp.  Granulated Sugar
1/3  cup  Shamrock Farms Heavy Cream
1/3 cup  Shamrock Farms Milk

Procedure:
Part 2:

1. Whisk eggs and sugar together in a mixing bowl for 30 seconds
2. Add Shamrock Farms heavy cream and Shamrock Farms milk to egg-sugar mixture and whisk together
3. Mix part 1 mixture into part 2 mixture and whisk until just incorporated
4. Line a 10” x 12” pan with plastic wrap and pour in mixture
5. Place pan in a larger pan filled half way up with warm water
6. Cook in a 300°F oven for 30 minutes, or a little longer if needed to firm up completely
7. Let cool for 20 minutes then place in a freezer.
8. When completely frozen cut out circles with a 2 ½ “ biscuit cutter

Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pints  Fresh Strawberries (stems removed)
1/2 cup  Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp.  Lemon Juice

Procedure:

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender until smooth

Assembly:
1. Drizzle strawberry sauce on the plate
2. On top of the sauce alternate three layers each of banana bread pudding and Crème Brûlée starting with the bread pudding
3. Sprinkle top with a light coating of raw sugar and burn with a torch until caramelized
4. Fan sliced strawberries on top and garnish with a mint sprig