I think I am getting into a “oat phase” these days. I try to put oats and oat bran wherever I can. Oat bran, oat flour, rolled oats, anything oat makes me happy, besides I love my fibers. I had bought too many bananas (I forgot I had a bunch at home), but I always fear to be banana depleted in the morning for breakfast, so I keep buying more than I can actually eat. Two of those bananas were overly ripe and what do do with over ripe bananas other than shakes? banana bread or cake, right? But it needs to be banana and oats together or nothing at all, so banana-oats combo it will be.

In my world, I would have called this a banana cake but in the US it’s more a bread than a cake (I’m sure there is an explanation, but I haven’t had the time to google it). In France anything called bread contains yeast and not baking powder. Anything called bread is something very different and looks like a baguette and tastes like one too.

Since I didn’t have any oat bran flour, I grounded some oat bran into a fine texture which ended up like flour. It all turned out quite well. This cake is very moist and not sweet at all so it could work as breakfast since it has a good amount of nutrients.

 Ingredients

• 1.5 cups oat bran flour
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar or sweetener of your choice
• 3/4 cup quick rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 Islandic Yogurt (or Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Pre-heat oven at 350F.

In a mixing container, mix flour, oats, sugar and baking powder. In a mixer, add banana, yogurt, oil, eggs, vanilla. Mix to obtain a smooth texture.

Pour liquid mixture containing the bananas to dry mixture containing the flour and oats. Mix well.

Grease a pan with butter. Coat with flour and remove excess flour. Pour batter and bake in the oven at 350F for about 50-55 minutes.

Quel est le meilleur ami de la banane si ce n’est que le chocolat? What’s banana’s best friend other than chocolate? During my trip to France, I brought back some brick sheets. Here is some more info on those sheets. Like filo dough, they can be used in savory or sweet preparations.

Those rolls are ridiculously quick to prepare. No need to stress out if you have guests for dinner and no idea on the dessert choice. Kids will love it, and adults too. Melting chocolate on warm banana with a touch of coconut and crunchiness of pistachios is a always winning combination. Some flavors like banana and chocolate are made for each other, they’re like soul mate.

These rolls are quite large, so one would be sufficient for one person, or if your dinner was light, two rolls per person would work as well. As far as chocolate goes, you can use milk chocolate too, I personally prefer dark chocolate, its flavor is more intense and it contrasts quite well with the banana.

Ingredients for 6 rolls

• 6 bananas, not too ripe
• 2 tbs agave syrup
• 2 tbs coconut, shredded
• 12 tbs pistachios, chopped
• 6 tsp dark chocolate, broken in small pieces
• 6 brick sheets
• olive oil or butter for brushing

Preparation

Peel and slice the banana in 1 cm slices. Grill them on both sides in a skillet or grill pan. In a mixing container, combine banana, pistachios, agave syrup, coconut. Mix well.

Take one brick sheet and place 2 tbs of the mixture. Add chocolate on top and roll the sheet. Brush with olive oil or butter. Proceed the same way with the rest of the mixture.

Pre heat oven at 390F and bake rolls in the oven for about 15-20 min until they turn golden brown.

 
Yes, this one is definitely my last post before I fly to France next week. I was going through one of my books called “La cuisine de Bistrot” from Tomawalk Editions, yesterday and this recipe really caught my eye. This is such a simple and yet delightful little dessert. For me, nothing beats fruit based desserts and this warm and soft banana swimming in rum and brown sugar is a winner, besides it’s very simple and quick. These days, I have very little time to cook for myself, I am too busy cooking for others, so something so simple and delicious is a big winner in my book. If you have guests, and have no idea what to make for dessert, try theses bananas, they will certainly make a “bel effet” (a great impression, I hope this is proper English).

Papillote always make great presentations…opening them is like opening a surprise, you never know what you are getting inside. You can use parchment paper (that’s what I use most), but today I was out so, I had to use aluminum paper even though there has been some warning about the use of aluminum. It’s bad if it gets into your system at some small doses, but I figured I will not die if I use it once.

Ingredients for 2

• 2 bananas, cut in half (ends removed)
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 vanilla bean
• vanilla powder
• 2 tbs rum

Preparation

Cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the beans with a knife. Insert them on sides of the banana between the peel and the flesh. Using a parchment paper place banana trunks in the middle of the foil of paper, top with sugar and butter cut in pieces. Close the papillote and cook in a pre-heated over at 370F for about 20 minutes. Open the papillote and add rum. Serve in plates, pouring the juice on top of bananas.

If you are not a cook, nor a pastry chef, this would be for you…How a dessert can more simple? Besides, it’s quite light, so in my book all the attributes to be called a perfect dessert. I think as a “petite chose sucrée“, a little sweet thing to serve when you have unplanned guests and no time to prepare a more complex dessert. You can also eat this as a snack with tea, the cups are small, about 2 1/2 inches height so in a few spoonfuls, you’re done.

I believe that you should not skip on anything, not fat, not sugar, so obviously not dessert either but eat small portions. That is the key to maintain a healthy body, and keeping a weight down (and of course exercising). I don’t believe on those restrictive diets that will make you lose weight, make you moody and miserable, then gain all the weight back, due to uncontrollable cravings. Maybe that is my French background that is talking this way, but so far it has shown to be efficient.

Of course, there can be many variations, such as replacing the banana with pears, pineapple, or any other fruit you like. Also, instead of the caramel, you can use chocolate, since chocolate and banana have been made for each other. For the caramel, you can use the one you buy at the store, I found some delicious caramel à la fleur de sel in a small jar at the Rainbow Market, that added a nice touch to it.

This pudding will be classified in my “ à refaire souvent” (to be made often) category due to its easiness and deliciousness ratio. It’s creamy, flavorful and light…just the way I love my desserts.

Ingredients for 4

• 4 slices brioche
• 1 banana, peeled and sliced
• 4 tsp caramel
• 4 tbs raisins
• 3 eggs
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1/2 cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs rum

Preparation

In a mixing container, combine eggs, sugar, milk, cream, rum and vanilla. Mix well to obtain a homogenous consistency. Using some small glasses (the ones than can be placed in the oven of course), start putting together the pudding. lay banana slices at the bottom of the glasses, then add raisins (previously soaked in rum), add brioche and proceed the same way with the other layer.

At the end of the process, you need to finish up with the brioche on top and not the banana. Pour the egg/milk mixture on top to cover the brioche.

Cook in a bain-marie (water bath) for about 25 minutes at 380F until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool, sprinkle with vanilla powder or powdered sugar and eat cold (not lukewarm) or at room temperature

I adore filo dough but never use it. Do you believe it? I can drool over appetizers and desserts made with filo dough but when it’s time to buy it, I always forget or buy something else. So people would say, then you just don’t adore it. It’s like saying I adore this friend but I never call her, then you don’t love her that much. In French we use the word adore quite often and is not as strong as its equivalent in English. It’s used as Americans would use “I love”. J’adore la nutella!!

It’s a shame not to use filo dough more often because it’s lighter than its cousin “Puff Pastry”. It has a very delicate crispy texture, and makes beautiful sweet and savory dishes. One sheet has 30 calories and I used about one sheet per crisp if you want to keep completely light, you can just omit the mascarpone cream, but I would not recommend it, it completes the crisp to perfection.

The particularity of this filo dough is that it’s wholewheat, so basically, you’ll get a light dessert, extremely tasty, warm and crispy that will satisfy any sweet cravings. My other “secret” ingredient is vanilla powder, which I adore, oui j’adore la poudre de vanille!!!! I almost use it in all my desserts. It’s vanilla bean ground that is perfect to replace the actual vanilla bean.

The combination of mango and banana’s textures complete one another, also pineapple adds a little extra exotic touch to the crisp. You need to select fruits that are not too ripe, or in the sauté process, especially the banana and mangoes will get mushy.

You can serve it warm at room temperature or lukewarm, then you need to serve it immediately or the cream will start melting.

Ingredients for 3 crisps

• 1/4 pineapple, cut in small sliced (1 inch size)
• 1 mango, peeled and cut in small slices (1 inch size)
• 1 banana, sliced
• 3 whole wheat filo dough sheets, cut in 6 squares
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs mascarpone
• 2.7 fl oz (or 80 ml) heavy cream
• vanilla powder
• 1 tsp powder sugar
• 1 tsp butter + 1 tsp melted for the filo dough

Preparation

Cut all the fruits, add sugar and saute in butter for about 5-7 minutes. remove from the pan.

Using a brush, apply melted butter in one filo dough sheet, then cut dough in 6 identical squares.

Place the 6 squares in a ramequin or small muffin trays (then insted of 3 crisp, you’ll make 6 due to the smaller size of the muffin trays). Divide fruits in each ramequin and cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 15-20 minutes or until the filo dough is golden brown.

remove from the oven and let it cool.

Whip heavy cream and add powder sugar at the end, add mascarpone and keep beating a little more. Add vanilla bean powder.

Serve each crisp with one tsp of mascarpone cream on top.

Des pommes, des poires et des….bananes!! I have been thinking about those papillottes for so long. I thought about them kept thinking about them, and always made something else…I kept doing that for weeks. Time to stick to the plan! They’re an express dessert and extremely delicious. We tend to forget that quick meals can be exquisite.  Papillottes are so much fun to make and look great when you give one individually to your guests.

Fruit based desserts are light and cooked fruits go deliciously well with spices. Of course, if you like cinnamon, you can add some. I am a big vanilla fan and could use vanilla everywhere. The only place I don’t like vanilla is in perfume. I think it’s way too sweet as a scent but I could drink it! I brought from France some vanilla powder which is basically vanilla beans and pods ground, so the powder is brown like the bean and not white (I have seen it white here) , if you can’t find it, you can add 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Those papillotes are perfect with apples and pears because they remain firm, and don’t get mushy like peaches or other summer fruits would. Fall just got here and we can enjoy the beautiful fruits it brings along.

Papillote has different meanings, but traditionally it refers to a chocolate candy wrapped in a golden or silver wrap with a personal message included in it. Supposedly it comes from Lyon and they’re consumed during Christmas.

Ingredients for 2 papillotes

• 1 golden apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 large pear, peeled and sliced
• 1 large banana, sliced
• 1 tbs unsalted pistachios
• 1.5 tbs golden raisins
• 1 tbs honey
• 1.5 tbs grated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla powder

Preparation

In a mixing bowl, add all fruits together, then add honey, vanilla powder, raisins, coconut and pistachios. Mix well. Place in a parchment paper, wrap tightly so no air can get in and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375F. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Travels always leave you some special memories, flavors, and sensations…My trip to Japan left me with an incredible and delightful sweet sensation I will remember for the rest of my life…eventhough I prefer from far savory dishes than sweet ones, but desserts in Japan are probably like in the rest of Asian countries, light, fresh and not sweet, so for someone like myself, you’re in heaven. The thing is that you can barely taste the sugar in them and that’s exactly what I love most. In the US, everything is very sweet, in fact even the mouth fresheners are sweet. Isn’t it weird? probably because Americans have been used to sugar since their childhood.

The thing is after our western meals, it is almost impossible to eat traditional dessert pastries or cakes. I need to have a light meal to be able to enjoy my dessert. I think Japanese have understood this, and their traditional desserts have just the perfect light sweet touch you need to close a meal, it’s like the “THE END” after a movie.

Those beautiful pearls are what I tasted in Japan, they were served with a big green tea shaved ice huge bowl, and it was perfect for a hot and humid August summer in Tokyo.

I think we can accommodate those cute tapioca pearls with some exotic fruit compote. In France, weirdly enough, people used to eat those in soups I guess, it is somehow remained a “soup ingredient”.

I made a few times tapioca with raspberry purée a while ago, and it was excellent but I just wanted to try to get something that had the texture of a flan, and this is it.

Ingredients for 4 flans

• 5 tbs tapioca pearls
• 1 banana, pureed
• 2/3 cup coconut milk + 2 tbs 
• 1 cup almond milk + 3 tbs
• 3 tbs light brown sugar + 2 tbs
• 2 eggs

Preparation

In a pot heat the cups of coconut milk and almond milk and 3 tbs of sugar, when the liquid is almons boiling, add tapioca. Stir at low heat for about 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with banana and the rest of the almond and coconut milks. Add the tapioca mixture and mix well.

Pour in silicon molds or individual ceramic molds previously buttered and cook in a preheated oven at 370F for about 20 minutes. Let cool and place in the refrigerator. Grill some slices of banana and decorate.