Deconstructed Banana Split

Deserts have long been the most terrifying realm of cooking for me. Many of the techniques and flavors I use just don’t seem to translate well into the realm of meal finishing deliciousness, however I have been practicing, and I believe I have been making some progress. Exhibit A, Deconstructed, Bruléed Banana Split

This delicious masterpiece came about because of a brulée torch I was given for my birthday (yes most of the gifts people give me are toys for my kitchen, and yes that is one of the coolest things ever) It started off with just the bananas and a swoosh of Nutella on a plate, but then I decided I could top that, no pun intended . . . okay maybe it was a little intentional. I pulled out some fresh mango and made mango syrup on the stove, essentially just mango, water and sugar. I then put a smooth layer of Nutella in the bottom of one of my desert dishes, followed by vanilla Ice cream, the mango syrup, and finally the two banana halves which I coated generously in sugar, then bruléed with the torch.

The art of bruléeing is still fairly new to me me (meaning I haven’t used it in many dishes) and I am currently looking for new and inventive ways to incorporate it into my cooking, so please feel free to share any tips or suggestions in the comments. Enjoy, and this week, try to take something familiar and make it new!  Brulée