Pimped Up Banana, Chocolate and Mango Bread - Chef Recipe by Darren Purchese

Ingredients

"This is a pimped-up, Cheffy way of presenting the Banana, chocolate and mango bread. It shows how a new way of serving something familiar can really transform it from domestic to majestic!

With this in mind, think about how you could revamp an everyday item into something you might see in a restaurant. Using this principle of presentation, experiment with your own desserts. Try swapping the banana bread for the Light carrot cake. What would you serve with that? Have fun ‘pimping up' your own puds!" ~ Darren Purchese.

Components:

Banana, chocolate and mango bread
Honeycomb
Walnut and honey jam
Light cream cheese foam
Milk chocolate cream

Walnut and Honey Jam:

125 g (4 1/2 oz/1 1/4 cups) walnuts, lightly roasted
90 g (3 oz) honey
Pinch of salt

Light Cream Cheese Foam:

200 ml (7 fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream
150 ml (5 fl oz) full-cream (whole) milk
150 ml (5 fl oz) Sugar syrup
300 g (10 1/2 oz) cream cheese
Pinch of salt

Milk Chocolate Cream:

220 g (8 oz) milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
330 ml (11 fl oz) thickened (whipping) cream

Assembly:

Fresh mango flesh, cut into twenty-four 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes
1 banana, sliced

Method

Walnut and Honey Jam:

Place the nuts in a small saucepan over medium heat and cover with 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) water. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the nuts are very soft.

Drain the nuts and discard the water. Place the nuts in a blender and blitz, then add the honey and salt. Blend until smoothish – add a little warm water if too thick. Set aside.

Light Cream Cheese Foam:

Put the cream, milk and sugar syrup in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and salt.

Transfer the mixture into a 1 litre (34 fl oz/4 cup) siphon gun and charge the gun with two nitrous oxide whipped cream chargers. Shake vigorously and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Shake vigorously again before use.

Milk Chocolate Cream:

Put the chocolate in a bowl.

Put the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Allow it to sit for 20 seconds before stirring with a spatula or whisk to emulsify. Use immediately.

Assembly:

Spoon a small amount of walnut and honey jam into the base of each serving glass.

Place a couple of pieces of mango into the glasses on top of the jam – I use three 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes.

Evenly pour the milk chocolate cream into each glass. Leave the glasses to set in the refrigerator for an hour before finishing them just before serving.

Add cubes of banana bread to the glasses with slices of banana and broken pieces of honeycomb.

Discharge the light cream cheese foam gently on top of each glass and serve immediately.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese published by Hardie Grant RRP $49.99 available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: This is an edited extract from Lamingtons & Lemon Tart by Darren Purchese published by Hardie Grant RRP $49.99 available in stores nationally.