Caramelized Banana Bread and Butter Pudding
Caramelized Banana Bread and Butter Pudding from Marcus Wareing's The Gilbert Scott cookbook. A stunning take on a classic British dessert.
Introduction
This is a pudding that always gets rave reviews in the restaurant, because it combines three irresistible components: brioche, bananas and custard. When using bananas for baking, they need to be as ripe as possible – the blacker the skins, the more intense the flavour and sweetness of the flesh.
Ingredients
| 100g | golden syrup, plus extra for drizzling |
| 50ml | brandy |
| 2 | very ripe bananas |
| soft unsalted butter, for greasing | |
| 1 x 400g | brioche loaf (or plain white bread if you prefer), cut into 1cm slices |
| clotted or pouring cream, to serve | |
| a little melted dark chocolate (optional) | |
| For the custard: | |
| 3 | free-range eggs |
| 100ml | double cream |
| 300ml | milk |
| 50ml | brandy |
Essential kit
You will need a standard 900g loaf tin.
Method
Make the custard first. Beat the eggs well, then add the cream, milk and brandy. Pass through a fine sieve into a jug to remove any lumps of egg. Set aside.
Heat the golden syrup in a pan until it boils and the bubbles get denser. Add the brandy and mix together. Slice the bananas lengthways, then place in the hot caramel. When golden on one side, turn over and caramelize the other side. Remove the pan from the heat.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Line a standard 900g loaf tin with baking parchment and butter well. Make a layer of brioche on the bottom, then pour over enough custard so it is about 1cm above the brioche. Press down on the brioche to help it absorb the custard (the more it soaks up, the moister the pudding will be). When fully soaked in, arrange a layer of sliced bananas on top with the caramel. Repeat the layering until the ingredients are used, finishing with brioche moistened with the last of the custard, allowing it all to soak in. Bake for 30 minutes, until the custard is just set. Allow to cool completely.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Cut the loaf into six slices and lay them out on a well-greased baking tray. Drizzle over a little golden syrup, then bake for 7 minutes. Serve hot, with clotted or pouring cream. (If you like, serve on plates that have been ‘painted’ with melted chocolate, using a pastry brush.)
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