Banana Napoleons

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar, divided
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3/4 cup butter, divided
• 5 frozen phyllo pastry sheets, thawed
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 bananas, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• whipped cream, grated chocolate

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 300º.
• 2 whisk together egg yolks and 1/4 cup whipping cream and set aside.
• 3 combine 1 1/4 cups whipping cream and 1/3 cup sugar in a heavy saucepan. cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the saucepan and add the vanilla bean halves. bring to a boil over medium-high heat. remove from heat and discard the vanilla bean.
• 4 whisk about one-fourth of the hot mixture gradually into the yolk mixture, add to remaining hot mixture, whisking constantly. skim air bubbles from the top of the mixture. pour mixture into an 8-inch square pan. place into a 13 x 9-inch pan. add hot water to larger pan to the depth of 1 inch.
• 5 bake for 35 minutes. remove pan from water and cool. cover and chill at least 2 hours.
• 6 raise oven temperature to 375º.
• 7 melt 1/2 cup butter. stack phyllo, brushing each sheet with melted butter and sprinkling with powdered sugar. cut phyllo stack into 16 (3-inch) squares. place squares on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. cover with a sheet of parchment paper and top with another baking sheet.
• 8 bake for 20 minutes or until golden. remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
• 9 cook remaining 1 cup sugar and remaining 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. slowly add remaining 1 cup whipping cream, and cook, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes or until caramel color. set aside.
• 10 cut chilled custard into 6 squares. place one square on each of 6 dessert plates. top each square of custard with 1 phyllo square. drizzle a small amount of caramel sauce around custard.
• 11 stir together banana and remaining caramel sauce. spoon evenly over phyllo squares. top each with a second phyllo square, and garnish, if desired. reserve remaining phyllo squares for other uses.