This is my brother Brad's recipe. Like I frequently do, he took a base recipe from the web and customized it. The result is a fabolous bread pudding. We had it at Christmas time and it was perfect.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 oz Cointreau (orange liquer)
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk (not low-fat)
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tsp orange zest
Pinch salt
1 baguette (stale), cut into 1-inch chunks (about 7 cups)
6 dried figs, soaked in hot water for at least 15 minutes, thinly sliced*
1/2 cup Craisins
Handful roasted unsalted cashew nuts, whole or chopped
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Special equipment: 9 by 13-inch baking dish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the melted butter into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and use a pastry brush to make sure the dish is well coated.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together, then add the coconut milk, the whole milk, the spices and a pinch of salt. Add bread and figs and toss. Let soak for 15 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the prepped baking dish and sprinkle with the cashews. Bake until the pudding pulls away from the sides of the dish, about 35 minutes.

Remove the pudding from the oven and serve with ice cream or a nice whiskey-orange custard.