Brown sugar and butter melt in a wide pan; bananas split lengthwise then halved go in cut-side down; cinnamon and a splash of banana liqueur (or extra rum) join. Dark rum pours in and flames briefly, until burnt off. The pan-syrup, slightly thickened, spoons over generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Stale French bread (a day-old baguette is perfect) tears into 3 cm chunks. Custard: whole milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest. Raisins steep in 4 tablespoons bourbon for plump. Bread soaks in custard 30 minutes; raisins fold in. Tips into a buttered 25 × 18 cm dish; dots with butter. Bakes for 45-50 minutes at 175°C till the top is bronzed and the centre is set but still custardy. Whiskey sauce: butter melts with sugar; cream and bourbon stir in; warmed but not boiled. Pours over the pudding at the table.
A rich enriched dough, flour, yeast, butter, milk, eggs, sugar, rises for 1 hour. Cinnamon filling: brown sugar, butter, cinnamon. Dough rolls into a large rectangle 40 × 25 cm; filling spreads across; rolls up like a Swiss roll; bends into an oval ring; ends pinch together. Rises for 45 minutes; bakes for 25 min. While warm, icing of icing sugar, milk, vanilla drizzles over. Coloured sugar (purple, green, gold) dusts in alternating bands. A small plastic baby (or a dried bean) hides inside the slice before serving.
Pecan halves toast in a dry pan till fragrant. Brown sugar, caster sugar, double cream, butter and a pinch of salt simmer together in a heavy saucepan, fitted with a candy thermometer, until they reach 116°C (soft-ball stage). Off heat; vanilla and pecans stir in. The mixture is beaten with a wooden spoon for 30-60 seconds till it begins to thicken and lose its gloss (this is the crystallisation point). Drops by tablespoons onto parchment immediately. Sets in 15 minutes.