Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bananas (crock pot)

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING
WITH BANANAS (PAN Y CHOCOLATE)

"This addictive bread pudding is a favorite at my SOL Cocina restaurants. The moist, cake-like pudding is studded with bananas that have been saut ed in brown sugar, and it is infused with the warm flavors of cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom, which flavor the Ibarra Mexican chocolate. Cracking the lid toward the end of the cooking time allows the pudding to firm up. You probably won't have leftovers, but if you do, be sure to refrigerate them; it's just as good cold."

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, divided use
3 cups milk
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 disk Ibarra Mexican chocolate, broken into pieces
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided use
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 ripe but firm bananas, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
8 cups cubed firm white bread*
FOR SERVING:
Vanilla gelato
Fresh strawberries

Using half of the shortening, grease the bottom, corners, and halfway up the sides of the slow cooker insert. Line the insert with an 18-inch piece of aluminum foil, smoothing it carefully into the corners and against the sides. Grease the foil with the remaining shortening.

In a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, heat the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until the milk is steaming, but do not allow it to boil.

Turn off the heat and stir in the Ibarra chocolate and 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate chips. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate has melted. Let cool to lukewarm, then whisk in the beaten eggs.

While the milk cools, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the bananas and brown sugar and saute for several minutes, until the bananas are glazed.

Place the bread in a large mixing bowl. Add the chocolate mixture, the sauteed bananas, and the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Stir well. Pour the bread pudding into the prepared cooker insert.

Cover the crock pot and cook on LOW 4 to 4 1/2 hours, or until puffed and firm. For the last 30 minutes, open the lid a small crack to let excess steam escape.

Uncover and let cool in the insert for 30 minutes.

Serve from the cooker, or unmold onto a plate: Run a rubber spatula around the edges to loosen. Grasp the ends of the foil and lift out of the insert. Turn upside down, peel off the foil, and turn right side up onto a serving plate. Serve warm or cold, with a scoop of gelato on top and the strawberries alongside.

*VARIATION:
If you have access to a Mexican panader a, you can make this dessert with churros instead of bread. Reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup and eliminate the cinnamon.

Makes 6-8 servings)
Adapted from source: The Mexican Slow Cooker by Deborah Schneider