Baked Banana Split

Baked Banana Split
A Perfect Dessert, Even In Winter!
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 16 minutes

Ingredients
3 bananas
2 heaping tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
vanilla ice cream
maraschino cherries

Cooking Tools
Sheet pan
Small mixing bowl
Foil 

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F.  Create 2 boats out of foil.  Peel and slice bananas in half length wise and place 3 slices in each boat.  In a small mixing bowl, add; brown sugar, melted butter, pecans, vanilla, salt and mix well. Place equal amount of sugar mixture on bananas and place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Place under broil for 1 minute, making sure not to burn the pecans.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes, scoop ice cream on top and garnish with a cherry.
Serves 2

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
4 ripe bananas
1 1/2 tbsp milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

 

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.
Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice.
Add the banana mixture to the creamed sugar and butter mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Serves 12 slices


Banana Brulee French Toast With Smokey Hollandaise Hash

Banana Brulee French Toast With Smokey Hollandaise Hash
Difficulty: Moderate

Serve with your favorite smoked sausage

Ingredients for French Toast
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tbsp honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tbsp butter
Directions to make French Toast
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, salt, vanilla and cinnamon. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. ( to keep French toast warm while bananas are being prepared)
Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Place toast on clean sheet pan then place in a warm oven until serving.

Ingredients for Banana Brulee
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans
6 ripe bananas, sliced on angle 3/4 inch thick
1 tsp rum extract
Directions for Banana Brulee
In a large skillet, combine corn syrup, brown sugar, maple syrup and pecans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add banana halves and rum extract. Coat with the syrup mixture, and simmer 1 minute. Spoon over French toast. Serve immediately. Two Toast per/person.

Ingredients for Hash & Fried Egg
4 cups red skin or golden potato diced
3/4 cup onion diced
1/2 cup green pepper diced
1/2 cup red pepper diced
1 tsp of garlic minced
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
salt
pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
4 large eggs

Directions to make Hash & Fried Egg
In a nonstick frying pan, place 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp of olive oil, heat pan at medium heat but not to burn the butter.  Add diced potatoes and toss around in the butter and oil.  cook with lid on pan and check often to make sure the potatoes are evenly cooking.  Half way through the cooking, place onions, green pepper, red pepper, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper.  Cook until tender, and then for a minute cook on high to get it slightly crispy. Remove from heat and keep warm.
In a separate skillet place 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil until hot.  Crack the 4 eggs into the skillet reduce to medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes then gently flip egg and cook an additional minute.
Divide potato hash into serving dishes and place a fried egg on top and ladle some Smokey Hollandaise sauce on top of egg.  Serve immediately!
Serves 4

Ingredients for Smokey Hollandaise
2 large egg yolks
1 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
In a blender, combine egg yolks, water, lemon juice, and salt; blend until frothy.
Heat butter in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium until bubbly (do not let brown). With blender running, pour in hot butter in a very thin stream, blending until sauce is thick and emulsified
Serves 4

 

Banana Cream Pie

Banana Cream Pie
Difficulty: Moderate

 

Ingredients For Filling
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 bananas sliced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 ready made pie crust

Directions
In a heavy saucepan, stir together the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Stir together the remaining sugar and cornstarch; then stir them into the egg until smooth. When the milk comes to a boil, drizzle it into the bowl in a thin stream while mixing so that you do not cook the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly so the eggs don' t curdle or scorch on the bottom.
When the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla, mixing until the butter is completely blended in. Pour into a heat-proof container and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled before using.
Prepare the whipped cream (recipe below) refrigerate until read to assemble the pie.
Blind bake the pie crust in a pie pan for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees F, cool completely before assembling pie.
Slice bananas and place in bowl, toss gently with lemon juice.  put some filling at the bottom of pie pan to start, add a layer of bananas.  Alternate layers of filling and bananas with the filling being the last.  Top with fresh whipped cream.

Ingredients For Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
DirectionsPlace cold cream into a mixing bowl, use a electric mixer on med to start then to high until soft peaks form.  Add vanilla and sugar and whip until stiff peaks, but be careful not to over whip or you will have butter!

 

Havana Bananas Foster

Havana Bananas Foster
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
4 ripe Plaintains, peeled
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup banana liqueur
1/2 cup dark rum
1 pint Vanilla Ice Cream of good quality store bought vanilla ice cream

Directions
Cut the plaintains in angle slices
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Add the plaintain and turning, cook on both sides until the plaintains start to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. Add the banana liqueur and stir to blend into the caramel sauce. Carefully add the rum and shake the pan back and forth to warm the rum and flame the pan. (Or, off the heat, carefully ignite the pan with a match and return to the heat.) Shake the pan back and forth, basting the plaintains, until the flame dies.
Divide the ice cream among 4 dessert plates. Gently lift the plaintains from the pan and place 6 pieces on each scoop of ice cream. Spoon the sauce over the ice cream and plaintains, and serve immediately
Serves 4