Bananas Foster Breakfast Strata

I love bananas foster.  There's just something about that brown sugar goodness that is irresistible. I'm not the world's biggest ice cream fan but throw some bananas foster on top and I'm there.   

Needless to say, when I saw this bananas foster breakfast pin on Pinterest, it went straight to the front of baking line.  It makes a lot of breakfast though so I'd recommend making it for a crowd--I made it at my sis's house when I was out there for Thanksgiving.  The Mountain Dew bottle is the dead giveaway.  Where my brothers are, the Dew abounds.  

I'm not delusional enough think that using whole wheat bread will somehow make this kind of healthy.  It was a firm bread though and held up in the strata well. 

The result?  It was good, full of banana and brown sugar flavors and definitely reminiscent of bananas foster. I'm not gonna lie though...it was ridiculously sweet.  Of course I acknowledge that my sweet tooth rarely wants play in the mornings.  I think this would be a phenomenal bread pudding type dessert after dinner with a big scoop of ice cream.  If you don't mind your sweets at breakfast, then this is one to try.

Bananas Foster Breakfast Strata

adapted from MyRecipes.com

Strata:
1 tablespoon butter
4 medium bananas, sliced

1/3 c OJ
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 c half-and-half

1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 (12-ounce) cans fat-free evaporated milk
1 (1-pound) French bread baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Streusel:
1/3 c all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare strata, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
3. Add 1 tbsp butter and swirl until foamy. 
4. Stir in bananas; sauté 1 minute. 
5. Add OJ, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook 1-2 minutes until bananas are soft. 
6. Spoon the banana mixture into a large bowl, and press bananas with a pastry blender or fork until chunky. Combine half-and-half, sugar, eggs, and evaporated milk in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add banana mixture and bread cubes, tossing well to coat. 
7. Place bread mixture in a 13 x 9-inch lightly greased pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
8. To prepare streusel, combine flour, brown sugar, oats and salt and mix well with a whisk. 
9. Stir in 1 tablespoon melted butter and toss well to coat and form crumbs.
10. Remove strata from oven; sprinkle evenly with streusel. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until golden and set. 
11. Remove and let set for 5 mins.  
12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.