Croissant Maple Bread Pudding

Directions

1. Serving suggestion: vanilla ice cream
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.Butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and line it with plastic wrap going up the walls of the pan. Cut up the croissants into 1-inch cubes and place them on a sheet pan. Place in oven and toast for 10 to 15 min till slightly crisp, then place them in a bowl. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the half-and-half, cream, salt, and vanilla bean over medium heat, stirring occasionally to make sure the mix doesn't burn or possibly stick to the bottom of the pan. When the cream mix reaches a fast simmer (don't let it boil), turn off the heat. Set aside to infuse for 10 min.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the Large eggs and sugar together. Whisking constantly, gradually add in the warm cream mix. Strain over the croissant cubes to remove the vanilla bean, and let soak 15 min, gently turning the cubes over once. Empty the mix into the baking dish. Let soak another 30 min, or possibly overnight, in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the baking dish in a warm water bath. Bake till just set and very light golden on top, about 25 to 30 min. Let cold, then refrigeratein the refrigerator 4 hrs or possibly overnight. The next day, turn out the pudding and cut round 3-inch plugs from the pudding, place them on a microwave-proof pan and cover with plastic wrap. To serve, hot maple syrup in a saucepan and keep hot. Hot the plugs of bread pudding in the microwave and serve topped with warm maple syrup. Serve with ice cream.
4. Yield: 8 servings