Tahitian Vanilla Bread Pudding (Paul Gauguin)

4 eggs

1 c. fine white sugar

2 c. heavy cream

1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk

2 tsp. Tahitian vanilla

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

6 oz. good quality dark chocolate, chopped into ½ inch pieces

2 T. cold butter

1 loaf French bread, or 8 dinner or Hawaiian rolls—torn into 1-inch cubes

2 c. heavy cream

2 Tahitian vanilla beans, split and scraped

½ c. dried coconut flesh

½ c. fine white sugar

¼ c. dark rum

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a round baking dish (10-12 in.) with butter, and dust with fine sugar.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, cream, coconut cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix until smooth. Toss chocolate with bread cubes in the baking dish. Pour liquid mixture over top of bread in prepared baking dish. Cover tightly and set aside for 30 minutes so liquid soaks into bread.

Into a small roaster (or larger cooking vessel), add 2-3 inches of warm water. Set the covered pudding dish into the water bath. Cover the water bath dish tightly with foil. Place in oven and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven, uncover baking dish and place back in oven for 10-15 minutes (without water bath).

In a medium saucepan, add cream. Scrape vanilla pod seeds into cream, whisk well. Add scraped pods and coconut. Over medium heat, whisking constantly, bring cream to a boil and cook until reduced by 1/3. Strain out coconut and vanilla pods. Add sugar, rum and 1 T. butter. Bring back to boil, reduce heat. Simmer and whisk on low heat a few minutes to develop flavor.

Pour sauce over warm bread pudding or serve on the side in a bowl.

For an extra grand finale, spoon pudding into individual serving bowls, ladle sauce over the top, pour 1 tsp. rum on top and ignite!