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Makes about 6 cups

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

Bananas Foster was made famous at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans. There are many versions of this flambéed dessert, but I love to make it into a bread pudding filled with bananas, brown sugar, and dark rum. Serve the bread pudding with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

4 medium bananas, cut into ½-inch rounds

8 large eggs

3 cups heavy cream

¼ cup dark rum

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

8 cups 1-inch cubes stale challah, egg bread, or Hawaiian sweet egg bread

¼ cup cinnamon sugar

Whipped cream for serving

coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line the insert with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.

melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of the sugar and heat, stirring, until the sugar melts. Add the bananas and stir to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the bananas to cool slightly.

whisk together the eggs, cream, remaining 1 cup sugar, rum, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the bread to the custard and stir to blend, making sure to saturate the bread. Spoon half of the custard-soaked bread into the cooker and top with half the bananas. Repeat the layers, ending with the bananas.

sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours, until puffed and an instant-read thermometer registers 185°F. Allow the pudding to cool for about 30 minutes.

serve with whipped cream.

serves 8

Ginger Cheesecake

Although I don’t use the slow cooker often to bake cakes that could go into the oven, this cheesecake is not only incredibly smooth, but the steam from the cooker gives it an enhanced texture. Infusing the batter with the crystallized ginger will require an extra step, but the results are worth the time. You will need to use a rack for the inside your slow cooker and a six-inch springform pan that is three inches deep.

CRUST

1 cup crushed gingersnaps

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

coat the inside of a 6-inch-wide and 3-inch-deep springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put the cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

pat the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

BATTER

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons crystallized ginger, finely chopped (see savvy)

Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon orange extract

Orange slices for garnishing

put the cream and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the ginger steep in the cream.

cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat to incorporate. Strain the ginger cream through a fine-mesh sieve and add it to the batter along with the sour cream and orange extract. Beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Pour the batter into the crust and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

pour ½ inch of water in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and arrange a rack in the bottom. Place the cheesecake on the rack, cover, and cook on high for 2 to 2½ hours. Remove the cover, turn off the slow cooker, and allow the cheesecake to cool for 2 hours. Remove from the slow cooker, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Release the sides of the springform pan and remove the cake from the bottom, using a long offset spatula.

transfer the cake to a serving platter or a cutting board. Dip a chef’s knife into hot water, wipe dry, and cut the cheesecake into wedges, dipping the knife into hot water after each cut.

serve each piece of cheesecake garnished with orange slices.

serves