For the bread pudding:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. Add the bread squares and stir until they have absorbed the liquid. Stir in the chopped pecans. Pour into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with more cinnamon. Bake until golden brown and firm, with no wiggly spots, 35 to 40 minutes.

For the vanilla cream:

In a mixing bowl, heat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream and the vanilla bean and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Pour about ½ cup of the cream into the yolks and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture back into the remaining cream and cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly, until it coats a spoon. Do not allow it to boil.

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer.

To serve:

Cool the bread pudding to room temperature and serve in squares, surrounded by spoonfuls of the vanilla cream.

Variations:

For day-old bread, substitute fresh bread that has been dried slightly in a 200°F. oven.

Substitute vanilla ice cream for the vanilla cream.