Choc Banana Custard Slice Food

BANANA CUSTARD SLICE

Steps:

• Into a large saucepan put milk, sugar, eggs and bananas and then blend with a stick blender (if you don't have a stick blender then use a blender or food processor and then transfer to saucepan) heat over a very gentle heat stirring frequently until the custard thickens (should coat back of wooden spoon with a thick mix and when stirring leave a trail), add arrowroot to help thicken even more.
• Spread the custard out on a tray (with sides) to let cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Cut pastry sheets in half and place pastry sheets on baking paper lined trays.
• Prick pastry sheets all over with a fork.
• Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Give cooled custard a stir to (don't worry about it having formed a skin), put down a layer of pastry and top with 1/3 of the custard but don't take it right to the edge, put on another 1/3 layer of custard and then another pastry sheet and then the final layer of custard and the final 4th sheet of pastry.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar and then refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove and slice into desired portions (3 to 4).

CHOC-NANNER-NUT CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a food processor pulse vanilla wafers until reduced to crumbs. Continuing to pulse, add 1 teaspoon of the sugar and salt, then slowly drizzle in butter until completely combined. Divide mixture in half and pour into ramekins. Using the bottom of a small glass, press the crumbs into the ramekins to make a crust on the bottom. The crust should be about 1/4-inch thick.
• In a medium bowl combine banana, brown sugar, peanuts and chocolate chips. Divide this mixture in half and place in the bottom of each ramekin. In the same bowl, whisk together yolks, heavy cream, vanilla, zest and remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar until sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly into both ramekins and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

BANANA TARTLETS WITH CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

Steps:

• For custard: Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt in medium bowl to blend. Bring milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk hot milk into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until custard thickens and boils, about 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and rum and whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer custard to bowl. Place plastic wrap directly atop surface of custard. Refrigerate overnight.
• For crust: Blend all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and salt in processor. Cut in chilled butter using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 6 equal balls. Flatten each ball into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Roll out 1 dough disk to 7-inch round. Transfer to 4 1/2-inch tartlet pan with removable bottom. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, pressing and forming double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork. Repeat with remaining 5 dough disks. Freeze crusts 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake crusts until golden brown and baked through, piercing with fork if crusts bubble, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in pans on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight in tartlet pans at room temperature.)
• Preheat broiler. Divide custard equally among crusts (generous 1/4 cup for each). Place banana slices decoratively atop each tartlet, covering custard completely. Brush bananas lightly with water. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar over bananas on each tartlet. Broil just until sugar melts and bubbles, about 1 1/2 minutes. Garnish with cream, if desired.

CHOCOLATE BANANA CUSTARD SLICE

Steps:

• First make the base. Arrange the crispbreads on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish or plastic tupperware container cutting some in half so that the entire base is covered.
• Add water and sugar to a small saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add liqueur. Allow to cool slightly.
• Using a tablespoon, gently pour a small amount of syrup over each crispbread until it is totally covered. Leave for 5 minutes and repeat process. There may be some syrup left over depending on how thick your crispbread is.
• Next prepare the jelly. Empty 2 packets into a bowl and add boiling water. Stir until the jelly crystals have dissolved, and then add the cold water.
• Leave the jelly out of the refrigerator to slowly cool down while you make the custard.
• Heat 4 cups of milk in a saucepan until quite warm.
• In a separate bowl add the custard powder to the remaining 2 cups of milk and dissolve well.
• Add custard-milk mixture into hot milk and stir immediately.
• Add the sugar while continuously mixing.
• When the custard thickens add the butter and mix well.
• Tip about half the custard into another bowl and add the vanilla essence.
• In the original saucepan add the couverture and cocoa powder and stir until well combined and smooth. (You can add an extra tablespoon of sugar if you like).
• Pour chocolate custard over soaked crispbreads spreading it out evenly. Put into the fridge to cool.
• Cover the vanilla custard with cling wrap so that it doesn't get a skin.
• Once cool, cover the chocolate layer with the vanilla custard and put back into the fridge.
• Once the custard is cool, very gently add the jelly layer over the top. The jelly should have cooled down and slightly thickened. Start by adding a ladle full in one corner. The jelly should not penetrate the custard layer, if it does start to run into the custard put it back into the fridge and wait until it cools further.
• Slowly add all the jelly until a yellow layer has formed over the custard covering it completely.
• Refrigerate for 4 hours or preferably overnight.
• Slice and serve.

VANILLA CUSTARD SLICES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll out 250g of the pastry on a sheet of baking parchment to about 25cm square. Scatter over half the almonds, then press them in very gently, dust with half the icing sugar and lay over a second sheet of baking parchment. Lift onto a baking sheet, and sit another baking sheet on top like a sandwich. Fill a few small tins with baking beans (or something similarly heavy and ovenproof, like uncooked rice). Bake for 30 mins, then have a quick peek - it will probably need another 5 mins to be well browned and crisp all over.
• Remove from the oven, take off the weights and top baking tray, then carefully lift off the top sheet of parchment and leave to cool. Repeat with the remaining pastry - you can do both sheets at once if you have enough baking sheets and tins, but they might not cook as evenly with two in the oven, so it is safer to do one at a time. Cool both completely.
• Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften, then put the remaining custard ingredients in a big saucepan. Set over a low heat to start, whisking continuously to mix well, then increase the heat a little until the custard is gently boiling. Keep whisking the whole time - the custard will thicken and lump unevenly, but keep cooking and whisking until it is smooth and very thick.
• Remove the custard from the heat and take out the vanilla pod. Squeeze out the water from the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the custard until it has dissolved.
• Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with baking parchment - criss-crossing two big strips will give you the neatest corners. Using a big, sharp knife and a ruler - or the base of your tin if it is removable - trim one pastry sheet to a shade under a 20cm square, so it will sit inside the tin, almond-side down. Spread over the custard as evenly as you can. Trim the second pastry sheet in the same way, but then divide the square into eight 10 x 5cm rectangles (so it will be easier when you cut the slices later). Sit them on top of the custard, almond-side up, putting them back together a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Gently press down on the pastry so it doesn't break but sticks to the custard, then cover and chill for 4 hrs or so, but better still overnight.
• To serve, lift the slice from the tin and cut all the way through where the pastry top is already cut. Dust the slices with a little more icing sugar and serve. Best eaten within 24 hours, when the pastry is still good and crisp.

CUSTARD (VANILLA) SLICE

Steps:

• Place piece greaseproof paper onto a flat biscuit tray and spray with cooking spray. Put a sheet of puff pastry on tray and pierce all over with a fork, but don't go all the way through pastry.
• Put in oven about 200°C until puffed up and golden.
• Let cool for a few minutes and gently push pastry down (I use a teatowel so my hands don't get burned) so it's flat. Take it off baking tray and remove paper.
• Put pastry into a square dish that has been greased and lined with greaseproof paper. If pastry too big trim the sides a little. It should be a snug fit.
• Bake second sheet of pastry, remove the paper and set pastry to one side until custard is done.
• For the custard, put the sugar and custard powder into a large saucepan and mix together with a wire whisk.
• Add the milk and mix to combine well.
• Put saucepan on stovetop and heat on medium high until mixture begins to thicken, then lower the heat until mixture is very thick and hard to stir. I find using the wire whisk until mix begins to thicken prevents lumps, then use a spoon to stir it.
• Add vanilla and mix well then pour into prepared dish.
• Smooth top so it's even and put 2nd pastry sheet on top.
• The icing amount depends on how thick a layer you want it, but I usually melt about 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 teaspoon boiling water. Then I add icing sugar, passionfruit pulp and a bit of water or lemon juice until it's the right consistency and amount--you don't want it too runny.
• Pour the icing on top and put in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
• Cut into squares and enjoy!