Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Banana Pudding Tiramisu
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
50 minutes
25 minutes
5 hours (includes chilling)
Serves:
6 servings
Brandon created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 23. A self-described banana pudding devotee, he fused his two favourite desserts — banana pudding and tiramisu — into one layered “banana-misu.” Roasted skin-on banana and a fresh compote anchor a silky sabayon cream, with espresso-dipped vanilla wafer...
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Ingredients
FOR THE ROASTED BANANA & COMPOTE:
3 large ripe bananas, skin on (~360 g flesh, for roasting)
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
2 medium ripe bananas, diced (~240 g, for compote)
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 pinch fine salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) dark rum (optional)
FOR THE SABAYON CREAM:
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 ml) Marsala or dark rum
8 oz (225 g) mascarpone, cool
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, cold
FOR THE ESPRESSO SYRUP & WAFERS:
3/4 cup (180 ml) hot brewed espresso (or strong coffee)
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) coffee liqueur or dark rum (optional)
~36 vanilla wafers (Nilla-style)
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FINISH:
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream, cold
2 tbsp (15 g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
cocoa powder and/or crushed wafers, to dust
banana chips or fresh banana, to garnish
EQUIPMENT:
Six coupe glasses or 6-oz serving vessels
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Heatproof bowl for a bain-marie (plus a saucepan it nests over)
Small saucepan and a sheet pan
Balloon whisk and a flexible spatula
Piping bag or offset spatula for the cream layers
Method
STEP 1: ROAST THE BANANAS
Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Place the whole skin-on bananas on a sheet pan and roast 18–22 minutes, until the skins are blackened and the flesh is soft and fragrant. Cool slightly, then peel and scrape the flesh into a bowl; it should be deeply sweet and almost jammy.
STEP 2: MAKE THE COMPOTE
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Add the diced fresh bananas, lemon juice, salt, and rum (if using). Cook 4–6 minutes, stirring, until syrupy and just broken down. Fold in about half the roasted banana flesh; reserve the rest. Cool.
STEP 3: WHISK THE SABAYON
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and Marsala. Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and whisk constantly until pale, tripled in volume, and thick enough to hold a ribbon, 4–6 minutes. Remove and whisk off the heat 1 minute to cool slightly.
STEP 4: BUILD THE CREAM
Whisk the cool mascarpone with the vanilla until smooth, then fold in the sabayon. In a separate bowl, whip the 1/2 cup cream to soft peaks and fold it through. You want a light, pipeable cream — this is the tiramisu-style layer.
STEP 5: MAKE THE ESPRESSO SYRUP
Stir the granulated sugar into the hot espresso until dissolved; add the coffee liqueur or rum if using. Cool to warm.
STEP 6: LAYER
Spoon a little banana compote into the bottom of each glass. Briefly dip wafers in the espresso syrup (a quick one-second dip — they should be moistened, not soggy) and arrange a layer over the compote. Pipe or spoon over a layer of sabayon cream. Repeat: compote, dipped wafers, cream, finishing with cream on top. Tuck in spoonfuls of the reserved roasted banana between layers.
STEP 7: FINISH AND CHILL
Whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks and crown each glass. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the wafers soften into a cake-like crumb.
STEP 8: SERVE
Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder and/or crushed wafers and garnish with banana chips or a slice of fresh banana. Aim for the balance the judges singled out: cake to banana to cream, none overpowering the others.
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Instructions
FOR THE ROASTED BANANA & COMPOTE:
3 large ripe bananas, skin on (~360 g flesh, for roasting)
2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
2 medium ripe bananas, diced (~240 g, for compote)
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 pinch fine salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) dark rum (optional)
FOR THE SABAYON CREAM:
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
3 tbsp (45 ml) Marsala or dark rum
8 oz (225 g) mascarpone, cool
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, cold
FOR THE ESPRESSO SYRUP & WAFERS:
3/4 cup (180 ml) hot brewed espresso (or strong coffee)
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) coffee liqueur or dark rum (optional)
~36 vanilla wafers (Nilla-style)
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM FINISH:
3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream, cold
2 tbsp (15 g) powdered sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
cocoa powder and/or crushed wafers, to dust
banana chips or fresh banana, to garnish
EQUIPMENT:
Six coupe glasses or 6-oz serving vessels
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Heatproof bowl for a bain-marie (plus a saucepan it nests over)
Small saucepan and a sheet pan
Fine-mesh sieve
Balloon whisk and a flexible spatula
Piping bag or offset spatula for the cream layers
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: ROAST THE BANANAS
Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Place the whole skin-on bananas on a sheet pan and roast 18–22 minutes, until the skins are blackened and the flesh is soft and fragrant. Cool slightly, then peel and scrape the flesh into a bowl; it should be deeply sweet and almost jammy.
STEP 2: MAKE THE COMPOTE
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Add the diced fresh bananas, lemon juice, salt, and rum (if using). Cook 4–6 minutes, stirring, until syrupy and just broken down. Fold in about half the roasted banana flesh; reserve the rest. Cool.
STEP 3: WHISK THE SABAYON
In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and Marsala. Set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and whisk constantly until pale, tripled in volume, and thick enough to hold a ribbon, 4–6 minutes. Remove and whisk off the heat 1 minute to cool slightly.
STEP 4: BUILD THE CREAM
Whisk the cool mascarpone with the vanilla until smooth, then fold in the sabayon. In a separate bowl, whip the 1/2 cup cream to soft peaks and fold it through. You want a light, pipeable cream — this is the tiramisu-style layer.
STEP 5: MAKE THE ESPRESSO SYRUP
Stir the granulated sugar into the hot espresso until dissolved; add the coffee liqueur or rum if using. Cool to warm.
STEP 6: LAYER
Spoon a little banana compote into the bottom of each glass. Briefly dip wafers in the espresso syrup (a quick one-second dip — they should be moistened, not soggy) and arrange a layer over the compote. Pipe or spoon over a layer of sabayon cream. Repeat: compote, dipped wafers, cream, finishing with cream on top. Tuck in spoonfuls of the reserved roasted banana between layers.
STEP 7: FINISH AND CHILL
Whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks and crown each glass. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so the wafers soften into a cake-like crumb.
STEP 8: SERVE
Just before serving, dust with cocoa powder and/or crushed wafers and garnish with banana chips or a slice of fresh banana. Aim for the balance the judges singled out: cake to banana to cream, none overpowering the others.
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