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Adding bananas to a dessert increases its creamy texture and richness. When sautéed, bananas’ sweet taste grows even sweeter. Such is the case with the following recipe for “Roast Banana with Maple Pecans” from Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s “Tartine” (Chronicle Books).
Roast Banana with Maple Pecans
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
2 medium bananas, peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Maple-Glazed Pecans (see below)
Parfait (see below)
In a sauté pan, heat the butter over high heat until it foams and the foam subsides. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir into the butter with a wooden spoon. Add the bananas and sauté, turning as needed, until soft on all sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir the vanilla into the pan juices, and spoon the pan juices over the bananas. Let the bananas cool in the pan until they can be handled, then cut cross-wise into 1⁄4-inch thick slices.
Make the parfait as directed. Coarsely chop the pecans. Gently fold the banana slices and pecans into the mixture just before the whipped cream is fully incorporated. Freeze as directed.
Maple-Glazed Pecans
Makes 2 cups
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecan halves
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper on a nonstick liner.
In a mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup, corn syrup, sugar, and salt and mix well. Add the pecans and toss to coat evenly with the syrup mixture. Turn the contents of the bowl onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly.
Toast the nuts, stirring every few minutes with a heatproof rubber spatula or a wooden spoon once the mixture begins to bubble, 4 to 6 minutes. The nuts are done when they are golden brown and the syrup is thicker and bubbling slowly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan. The coating on the nuts should be crisp when the nuts are cool. If it isn’t, you can put the nuts back in the oven for another couple of minutes.
Separate the cooled nuts. They will keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks or for a month in the refrigerator.
Parfait
Makes 4 to 6 servings
8 large egg yolks
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2⁄3 cup water
21⁄2 cups heavy cream, very cold
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Prepare an ice-water bath, using a bowl large enough to hold the mixer bowl. Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until light colored, about 4 minutes.
While the yolks are in the mixer, combine the sugar, salt and water in a deep, heavy saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Stir gently with a wooden spoon from time to time to make sure that no sugar is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture registers 230 F on a thermometer. This should only take a few minutes.
Remove the sugar syrup from the heat and immediately add it in a thin stream to the light-colored yolks, pouring it between the whisk and the side of the bowl. The yolks will cook from the heat of the syrup and thicken considerably. Continue to beat for a few minutes on high to increase the volume and start cooling the mixture. It should be thick and pale yellow. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and place it in the ice-water bath until cool, folding gently with a rubber spatula so as not to lose any volume.
In another mixing bowl, with the clean whisk attachment or a handheld whisk, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Using the spatula, gently fold the cream into the yolks. If you are adding any of the flavorings that follow, don’t mix until the cream is fully incorporated. Mix just until the cream is almost combined, add your other cool or room-temperature ingredients and finish mixing.
Pour the mixture into serving glasses or into a large container from which you can easily scoop. Cover the glasses or the single container tightly and place in the freezer. The glasses will only take about an hour to freeze; the large container will take 2 to 3 hours.