Caxton magazines staff“When I entertain, I love to serve relaxed, home-style dishes that are simple to prepare,” says Cape Town caterer Kate George of The Food Room (083 700 5859)
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE PASTRY:
- 125g butter, chilled
- 250g cake flour
- ½ cup caster sugar
- ice-cold water
For the filling:
- ¼ cup golden syrup
- 80g butter
- 1t vanilla essence
- 2 x 385g tins condensed milk
- 4 large bananas, sliced
- 2 cups cream
FOR THE TOPPING:
- 2 green bananas, thinly sliced with the peels on
- oil, for frying
- caster sugar and cinnamon, for dusting
- little chocolate sauce
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. To make the pastry: rub the chilled butter into the flour and caster sugar until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add enough chilled water for the pastry to come together but isn’t sticky. Knead it until it’s just smooth.
3. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 4mm and use it to line a greased rectangular quiche tin. Cover the pastry case with tin foil and fill it with baking beans. Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and set. Remove the foil, trim the sides and leave to cool.
4. To make the filling: place all the ingredients, except the bananas and cream, in a saucepan and gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes until it just begins to darken into a toffee colour. It is very important to stir it all the time so it doesn’t burn.
5. Lay the sliced bananas at the bottom of the pastry base and pour the toffee mixture over the top. Allow it to cool completely.
6. Whip the cream until stiff and spoon it over the top of the toffee mixture.
7. To serve: fry the sliced green bananas in a little oil until crispy, drain and toss in the caster sugar and cinnamon. Arrange on top of the cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.
This recipe serves 8 – 10.
