Warm Chocolate Financier With Caramelized Bananas Food

CARAMELIZED BANANA SPLITS WITH HOT CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, then add bananas in 1 layer and sprinkle with brown sugar. Increase heat to medium-high and cook bananas, gently turning once and shaking skillet occasionally, until sugar is caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes. Divide bananas among 4 bowls, leaving any remaining caramel in skillet.
• Add cream to skillet and boil over medium heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Add chocolate with a pinch of salt and whisk until melted.
• Top bananas with scoops of ice cream, then drizzle with some of chocolate sauce and sprinkle with nuts. (There will be extra sauce.)

PEAR FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Make the browned butter: Melt 1 stick butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns golden and smells nutty, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Whisk both flours, 1/2 cup brown sugar and the salt in a medium bowl. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form; stir in the vanilla. Fold in the browned butter and the dry ingredients, then cover the batter with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and combine in a large bowl with the pears and remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar; toss. Divide the batter among the muffin cups; top each with 3 pear slices. Bake until puffed and golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Steps:

• chocolate-Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add 2 sliced bananas and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cook until golden and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the bananas with cinnamon and spoon over rum raisin ice cream.
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WARM CARAMEL BANANAS

Steps:

• Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add sugar; cook until melted, stirring occasionally. Gradually mix in sour cream; cook on low heat 1 min.
• Cut bananas lengthwise, then crosswise in half. Add, cut sides down, to skillet; cook 1 min., basting occasionally with sauce from bottom of skillet. Stir in nuts.
• Spoon bananas evenly into 4 dessert dishes; top with remaining sauce in skillet. Drizzle with chocolate; top with COOL WHIP.

MINI CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Cool. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Sift in flour; mix just until combined. Fold in chocolate mixture., Spoon batter into 8 buttered 4-oz. ramekins dusted with cocoa. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 12-15 minutes. Run a small knife around sides of ramekins. Invert onto cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes. Remove ramekins; place cakes on individual plates., For bananas, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss banana slices with sugar until well coated; arrange in a single layer in skillet. Do not stir bananas until bottoms are golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Turn; cook until second side is golden brown, 4-5 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Place bananas on plates with cakes., For sauce, heat wine and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Whisk in chocolate. Pour over cakes.

BROILED BANANAS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler,. Peel bananas and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Mix the sugar and lime juice and toss with bananas. Spread bananas in shallow baking pan and broil until sugar has melted into a glaze, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with sour cream and chopped pecans if desired.

SESAME BALLS WITH RED BEAN PASTE AND BANANAS

Steps:

• Dissolve the brown sugar in 1/3 cup boiling water. Once the sugar is dissolved, add in 1/3 cup cold water to bring down the temperature.
• In a large mixing bowl, add the rice flour and make a well in the center. Stir in the brown sugar water and stir to combine. Once combined, knead the dough in the bowl for 5 minutes and shape into a ball. Dough should be soft, pliable and smooth; add more flour or water if need be to adjust the consistency.
• Roll the dough into a log, and then divide the log into 12 even pieces. Dust your hands with a little rice flour and form each piece into a ball roughly the size of a large walnut.
• With the palm of your hands, flatten the dough balls into disks. Place 1/4 teaspoon red bean paste and a piece of banana in the center of each of the disks. Gather the sides toward the center and pinch close. Gently roll in the palms of your hands to reshape into a ball. Repeat with the remaining balls. Once all the balls are filled and formed, roll in the sesame seeds to coat thoroughly.
• Heat 3 inches of oil in a pot or wok to 350 degrees F, or until a piece of dough browns in 15 seconds.
• Deep-fry the sesame seed balls, a few at a time, until the sesame seeds are golden and the balls float to the surface, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Best served warm.

HAZELNUT FINANCIER WITH PLUM COMPOTE AND CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• One 10-inch springform or layer pan, buttered and the bottom lined with a disk of parchment or waxed paper, or 12 4-inch individual pans, buttered. Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts and 3/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the flour. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking the butter until it colors slightly, swirling the pan to color it evenly. Remove from heat and add the rum and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites with the salt until they form a very soft peak. Add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a very slow stream, whipping constantly. Continue whipping the egg whites until they hold a soft peak. Alternately fold the hazelnut and butter mixtures into the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Begin with the hazelnut mixture and end with the butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans. Smooth the top and sprinkle with the sliced or chopped hazelnuts. Bake the financier for about 50 minutes until well risen and golden, about 30 minutes for the individual cakes. The center of the cake should feel firm when pressed with the palm of the hand. Cool the financier briefly on a rack and remove pan and paper. If some of the hazelnuts on the surface fall off, replace them on the cake. Dust very lightly with confectioners' sugar.
• For the compote, rinse, pit and quarter plums. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and heat until sugar begins to melt. Stir occasionally until sugar turns to a deep amber caramel. Add butter and water carefully off heat to prevent splattering. Return to heat, bring to a boil and add plums. Simmer a minute or two, add cinnamon and cool. To serve, place a financier off center on a plate and spoon plum compote next to it. Top with Creme Fraiche.

WARM BANANAS WITH BROWN SUGAR AND BAY LEAF

Steps:

• In large skillet over high heat, melt the butter and cook until it browns, about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaves and stand back (it may pop). Add the lemon juice, orange juice, brown sugar, brandy, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Stir and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and it has reached a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the bananas and pepper. Stir to coat the bananas evenly. Serve immediately spooned over cake or ice cream.
• Cooking Notes: You can make the sauce hours ahead of time. Just add the fruit after you bring the sauce back to a simmer. The fruit should be a little cool inside. Serve it with a good, store bought chocolate cake or spoon it over your favorite ice cream.

CHOCOLATE FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a financier mold (tops of mold should measure approximately 1 7/8 by 3 * inches), madeleine mold or small muffin tin with vegetable oil and place on a baking sheet. If you use individual molds, you'll need 14.
• Melt the butter over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it turns amber and smells nutty; keep warm. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat and keep warm. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Set both the pod and seeds aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together the sugar and flour. Add the almonds and pistachios and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the egg whites, vanilla pod and seeds and stir vigorously. Strain a quarter of the warm butter over the mixture and stir to combine. Strain in the remaining butter and mix well; then stir in the melted chocolate.
• Let the batter cool to room temperature. Remove the vanilla pod. (The batter will hold in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
• Pour the batter almost to the top of the molds. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes; rotate the pan after 6 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet and then transfer from the mold to a baking rack.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED PANCAKES WITH CARAMELISED BANANA

Steps:

• To make the pancake batter, mix the flour, baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Make a well in the centre, crack in the eggs and add the melted butter and milk. Whisk the wet ingredients in the centre until combined, then gradually incorporate the dry ingredients until you have a thick, smooth batter. Transfer to a jug. Heat the oven to its lowest setting and put a couple of baking trays in to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them.
• Heat a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, pour rounds of batter into the pan, about 8cm wide - leave space between them as they will expand as they cook. Scoop teaspoons of chocolate spread from the jar and pop one in the centre of each pancake, then use a tiny bit more batter to just cover the chocolate spread. Continue cooking for 1-2 mins until the underside is golden brown, then carefully flip the pancakes and cook for 1 min more on the other side. When golden, transfer to a baking tray and keep warm in the oven while you cook the next batch.
• When the pancakes are all cooked, caramelise the bananas. Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper and scatter in the remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Heat the sugar until it melts and starts to bubble to a deep amber colour, then toss in the bananas and coat them in the caramel. If the sugar hardens, drizzle in a little maple syrup or water, then bubble for 30 secs until syrupy.
• Serve the pancakes stacked with the caramelised banana pieces between the layers and more piled on top. Drizzle over the maple syrup, then scatter over the hazelnuts.

CARAMELISED BANANA & CHOCOLATE GALETTE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Blitz 50g of the hazelnuts in a small food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs, then tip into a bowl with the chocolate.
• Roll the pastry out to a round roughly 30cm in diameter on a sheet of baking parchment. Scatter the chocolate and hazelnut mixture over the pastry circle, leaving a 5cm border. Top with the bananas and most of the remaining hazelnuts, then fold the edges of the pastry over. Transfer the galette to a baking sheet along with the baking parchment, then chill in the fridge for at least 10 mins.
• Remove from the fridge and sprinkle the sugar over the galette, then bake for 25-30 mins, or until golden and puffed up. Scatter over the remaining hazelnuts and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.

WARM CARAMEL BANANAS

Steps:

• In large skillet, melt butter on medium heat.
• Add sugar; cook until melted, stirring frequently.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Gradually add sour cream; cook 1 minute.
• Cut bananas in half lengthwise and crosswise, creating 4 half slices.
• Add banana slices, cut side down, and peanuts to skillet.
• Cook 1 minute, or until bananas are evenly coated and tender, basting occasionally with sauce.
• Spoon bananas into 4 dessert dishes, and spoon sauce over.
• Place unwrapped chocolate square in microwaveable bowl.
• Cook on HIGH for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.
• Stir until completely melted and drizzle over bananas.
• Finish with a dollop of whipped topping.
• Serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE SOUP WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Steps:

• Prepare the caramelized bananas:.
• Place the diced bananas in a medium-sized mixing bowl with the rum and toss to coat.
• Set aside to let macerate at room temperature while you prepare the caramel.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat.
• If it starts to smoke, it is too hot and you need to run it under cool water, dry it, and start again.
• When it is warm sprinkle the sugar into the pan.
• Try to keep the sugar in an even layer to allow it all to caramelize at the same time.
• As soon as you see the sugar begin to melt, start moving the pan over the burner to keep the sugar from burning.
• Tilt the pan from side to side so that the melted sugar runs over the unmelted sugar.
• Cook until all of the sugar is a light golden brown.
• Chef Torres usually adds a tablespoon of butter at this stage because it makes the caramel smoother.
• Add the bananas and rum and spread evenly in the pan.
• When cooking with alcohol, there is always the chance of it catching on fire, so be very careful when adding the rum.
• Continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the bananas are soft but not mushy; they should still hold their shape.
• Remove from the heat and pour the caramelized bananas onto a plate.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for about 20 minutes.
• Covering the hot bananas with plastic wrap keeps the caramel from drying as it cools.
• Prepare the Chocolate Soup:.
• Pour the milk into a 2 quart heavy -bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Add the chopped chocolate and stir until well combined and the chocolate has melted.
• Bring the mixture to a boil again, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the pan from the heat and set aside while you prepare the soup bowls (You can use any oven-safe bowls).
• Place one large spoonful of the caramelized bananas in the bottom of each soup bowl.
• The bananas will give texture to the soup, so be generous.
• Cover the bananas with the hot soup, filling each bowl three-quarters full.
• Set the soup bowls on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until chilled, about 2 hours.
• The soup will set and thicken, allowing it to support the meringue; chill it well before topping it.
• To Finish the Soup:***Chef Torres likes to top the warm soup with meringue to add another layer of texture and enhance the visual appeal; You can skip this step if you prefer.
• Place the egg whites in a medium-size mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy.
• Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and make a French meringue by adding the powered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and whipping the whites to stiff but not dry peaks.
• Place the meringue in a large pastry bag fitted with a 3/4-inch star tip.
• Remove the soup from the refrigerator and pipe the meringue onto the tops in a decorative pattern.
• Place the soup bowls in a deep roasting pan or baking dish and fill it with warm water to come one third of the way up the side of the bowls.
• Let stand for about 30 minutes to warm the soup.
• If you do this before you serve dinner, the soup should be ready to be browned by the time you have finished eating.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
• Remove the soup bowls from the warm water bath and place them on a baking sheet. Place in the oven just until the meringue begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
• The soup should not get hot.
• Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
• Notes****.
• When you cut chocolate, start at one corner and always cut it on an angle. Don't try to cut big pieces, because it is too difficult. If you cut on an angle, it will be easier and safer. This way, you do not have to cut so much surface at one time.
• Congrats - you made it - now ENJOY! :).