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1
Preheat the broiler.
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2
Butter one side of each slice of bread and toast them with the buttered side up. Watch carefully as not to burn.
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3
Stand bread slices upright to cool-- do not stack as they will stick together-- When toast is cool and dry, trim off crusts and cut into triangles.
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4
Arrange in a deep 10 inch cake pan, in a spiral overlapping, with the points up. There will be an empty space in the centre.
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5
Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp sugar and the cinnamon. Set aside.
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6
Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the milk in a saucepot, over medium heat.
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7
Note: If using extract, do not put it in the milk here, scald the milk alone.
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8
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, remaining sugar, salt and vanilla extract if been used, until smooth and lemon coloured-- about one minute.
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9
With mixer on low, and in a stream add the scalded milk-- now remove the vanilla bean.
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10
With a ladle pour as much of this custard into the centre of the cake pan, careful not too overflow-- let stand and keep adding more, as its been soaked inches.
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11
Bake in a hot 400u00b0F oven in a hot water bath-- for about 40 minutes until pudding is firm and puffed and golden brown-- Remove and place on a rack to cool.
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12
Sauce-- Put butter in a pot, and pour in the sugar.
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13
DO NOT STIR Over medium heat allow sugar to caramelize slowly--should take 10 minutes or so.
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14
Stir when mixture is a nice brown colour and bubbling.
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15
Continue until its a dark golden brown-- Stir in small amounts of the cream, it will harden up-- but then will go back to a liquid, or a thick syrup-- Strain through a sieve, and keep hot in a warm water bath, until needed.
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16
To serve-- cut the cake into ten portions, as you would a pie-- using a knife and a pie lifter to remove, as not to loose any custard-- Pour some sauce over each.
