As a test of how well we worked together in the kitchen me (Jerome) and my partner in crime (Jacob) set out for a test run of this little project of ours. He was craving bananas foster, I'd never had it but was interested. At that point, I was just hungry for food without any preference. Earlier we'd been talking about his Easter dinner and it sounded like something I wanted to try. It was a chicken breast stuffed with bacon. I think I was more interested in the bacon than anything else. From there we set out to improve both recipes. This post we will be talking about the Bananas Foster, which I have playfully renamed.
Banana's Foster is essentially bananas cooked in a sweet sauce that you put onto pound cake and topped with vanilla ice cream. We took a recipe he liked from The Stockpot Cookbook and fixed it.
Recipe:
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
6 Bananas
1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (1Teaspon Of Nutmeg/All Spice Can Also Be Added)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Dark Corn Syrup (or 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar & 1/4 Cup Water)
1 Stick of Butter (Or Imperial Spread/Margarine/Other Butter Substitute)
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (Or Lime Juice)
1/2 Cup Coconut Rum (Or more if you'd like, no more than 2/3 Cup)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (Or Two Vanilla Beans)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (Or Water Or Milk)
This is only slightly modified from the original, but the changes are important. The original was for 12 servings, didn't include vanilla or water/coconut milk, to thin the sauce and compensate for stove top cooking. We cut everything in half, except the butter because butter is yummy. When it comes to alcohol I'm a bit of a lush, so I left the rum at its original quantity. If you increase the amount of rum you may want to cook the sauce for a few extra minutes before adding the bananas to cook out the rest of the alcohol, otherwise the end product may taste funny. Spiced rum may change the flavor too, but I don't think that's a positive thing.
Prep &Cooking:
If you care about plating, then this dessert may not be for you. It has a very homely feel to it, but that can be a good thing.
Slice your cake thick, about 1 inch. If you cut the way I suggested, put 4 chunks in each bowl on top of the cake. If you cut another way, use the equivalent of 1 banana per bowl. If you want to make a cleaner presentation, don't scoop the ice cream until it's seconds from being presented. Finish it off with a drizzle honey, and sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
If you're down for a more homely feel, you can cube the pound cake and serve it like a pudding.
Modifications:
While making this I felt like it was begging to be baked into a pie or cobbler. If you have dietary restrictions, Splenda Brown Sugar and 1/4 cup of water is a great replacement for the dark corn syrup. Using margarine or vegetable spread will cut out saturated fats. You can cut out the salt completely without sacrificing flavor, or you can use a salt substitute. Using whiskey may be a yummy taste change, but be less liberal with whiskey than rum. Sliced apples, pineapples, or peaches can be substituted to make a completely different dessert. Those can also be used to make a cobbler or pie as well, but we will cover that in another post.
This dessert is quite yummy, and for a first timer it was a great introduction. Whenever I get around to trying the mods I will definitely share them.
Banana's Foster is essentially bananas cooked in a sweet sauce that you put onto pound cake and topped with vanilla ice cream. We took a recipe he liked from The Stockpot Cookbook and fixed it.
Recipe:
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
6 Bananas
1/2 Cup Flaked Coconut
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon (1Teaspon Of Nutmeg/All Spice Can Also Be Added)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Dark Corn Syrup (or 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar & 1/4 Cup Water)
1 Stick of Butter (Or Imperial Spread/Margarine/Other Butter Substitute)
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (Or Lime Juice)
1/2 Cup Coconut Rum (Or more if you'd like, no more than 2/3 Cup)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (Or Two Vanilla Beans)
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (Or Water Or Milk)
This is only slightly modified from the original, but the changes are important. The original was for 12 servings, didn't include vanilla or water/coconut milk, to thin the sauce and compensate for stove top cooking. We cut everything in half, except the butter because butter is yummy. When it comes to alcohol I'm a bit of a lush, so I left the rum at its original quantity. If you increase the amount of rum you may want to cook the sauce for a few extra minutes before adding the bananas to cook out the rest of the alcohol, otherwise the end product may taste funny. Spiced rum may change the flavor too, but I don't think that's a positive thing.
Prep &Cooking:
- Combine everything (except bananas) in a sauce pan and bring it up to simmer.
- While that comes up to temp, peel your bananas and cut each. There are options on your cutting, I suggest 4 chunks per banana. You could also slice them longways, but that will make them too mushy for my tastes. If you make thinner chunks, that will end up somewhere in the middle texture wise, but it would allow for quicker cooking.
- Once the sauce has come to simmer drop you bananas in and allow them to cook at a simmer for about 10-20 minutes. The longer you cook the bananas, the mushier they will be. If you cook them too long you will end up with a mushy mess, so keep an eye out on the texture. If you do take them too far, you can use it as a cake filling or ice cream topping.
- Once the bananas are to your desired tenderness, remove them from heat and let them cool for a bit, otherwise they'll melt your ice cream too fast. The cooling also allows for the sauce to thicken a bit, which makes for a better feel in the mouth and flavor.
If you care about plating, then this dessert may not be for you. It has a very homely feel to it, but that can be a good thing.Slice your cake thick, about 1 inch. If you cut the way I suggested, put 4 chunks in each bowl on top of the cake. If you cut another way, use the equivalent of 1 banana per bowl. If you want to make a cleaner presentation, don't scoop the ice cream until it's seconds from being presented. Finish it off with a drizzle honey, and sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
If you're down for a more homely feel, you can cube the pound cake and serve it like a pudding.
Modifications:
While making this I felt like it was begging to be baked into a pie or cobbler. If you have dietary restrictions, Splenda Brown Sugar and 1/4 cup of water is a great replacement for the dark corn syrup. Using margarine or vegetable spread will cut out saturated fats. You can cut out the salt completely without sacrificing flavor, or you can use a salt substitute. Using whiskey may be a yummy taste change, but be less liberal with whiskey than rum. Sliced apples, pineapples, or peaches can be substituted to make a completely different dessert. Those can also be used to make a cobbler or pie as well, but we will cover that in another post.
This dessert is quite yummy, and for a first timer it was a great introduction. Whenever I get around to trying the mods I will definitely share them.
No comments:
Post a Comment