Steemit Iron Chef 2017 #09: Banana Dessert Plate

Week 9 of Steemit Iron Chef. Whoa, already? For this week, we have banana as the star of the show!

The inspiration for my banana entry is something I enjoy whenever I'm in Paris: Crêpe Nutella-Banane. @progressivechef reminds us to elevate the dish so here's my attempt. I employed some molecular gastronomy techniques as I thought they are perfect for this plated dish.

From left to right: One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream, Deconstructed Crêpe Nutella-Banane, Crustless Banana Cheesecake Topped with Fried Banana and Banana Gelée Topped with Pulverized Nutella

Let's break it down ...

One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

The one-ingredient banana ice cream is simply banana chunks that are frozen then put through a food processor until it gets creamy. Note that it will be chunky before it gets creamy, but be patient and keep going. I promise it will transform to a creamy mass. It's so delicious just by itself!

I garnished the ice cream with a caramelized hazelnut as Nutella is made of hazelnuts.

Deconstructed Crêpe Nutella-Banane

Spread crêpe batter on preheated crêpe maker.

Flip to cook the other side.

Crêpe is ready. Set aside.

Using an apple corer, I extracted a long piece of log from a banana.

The banana log was rolled into a cut-out piece of crêpe, the same width of the banana log.

It is then wrapped with a small strip of banana leaf and tied with a piece of twine. I finished this part of the composition by strategically putting a dollop of nutella on the side, completing the Deconstructed Crêpe Nutella-Banane.

Crustless Banana Cheesecake Topped with Fried Banana

The ingredients for the crustless banana cheesecake

Fry a slice of banana until it caramelizes. Top a banana cheesecake round with the fried banana.

Garnish with a hazelnut, again because Nutella is made of hazelnuts and therefore it rounds up this dish nicely.

Banana Gelée

Combine the ingredients for the banana gelée and cook until it boils. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Cut into desired shape for plating.

Pulverized Nutella

Combine nutella and tapioca maltodextrin to transform nutella into powder.

Top banana gelée with pulverized nutella.

Here's my blurry proof photo for Week 9 of Steemit Iron Chef.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One-Ingredient Banana Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 bananas

Directions

Cut up banana. Freeze for at least 4 hours. Put frozen pieces in a food processor. Run food processor until banana is creamy. It will get chunky first then will transform to a creamy texture. Serve immediately for a soft ice cream or freeze for a firmer texture.

Crêpe

Ingredients

4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Whisk eggs and flour in a bowl. Add milk and water gradually, stirring until well-combined and smooth. Add salt, sugar and butter. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.

Heat crêpe pan or crêpe maker to medium high. Pour 1/2 cup of batter and immediately spread to form the crêpe. Cook until golden brown, approximately 1 - 2 minutes, then flip to cook the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Crustless Banana Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 medium ripe banana
16 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375^oF. Grease baking pan.

Mash the banana in a mixing bowl. Add ricotta and eggs and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into greased pan.

Bake for an hour or until mixture is set.

Banana Gelée

Ingredients

4 medium ripe banana
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/3 cup milk
4 grams agar-agar

Directions

Mash the bananas or purée in food processor. Transfer to a small pan. Add remain ingredients and bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Pour into molds and chill for at least 4 hours.

Pulverized Nutella

Ingredients

20 grams Nutella
8 grams tapioca maltodextrin

Directions

Mix ingredients together until well-combined. It will take about 2 minutes of mixing before it reaches a nice powder stage. If too dry, add a small amount of Nutella and if too moist, add more tapioca maltodextrin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bon Appetit!

If you haven't yet, come join @progressivechef's Steemit Iron Chef and be part of the fun!