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Valentine’s dessert

chocolate tacos with bananas

Valentine’s Day is Friday. Are you ready? Maybe this decadent chocolate dessert will get you in the mood.

Barbara Fenzl taught this recipe during the last semester of classes at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. It is too creative, beautiful, and delicious to not share with you. <3

tacos with caramelized bananas2

Banana “Tacos” with Chocolate Sauce

“Taco” Crêpes
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Banana Filling
5 ripe bananas
1/4 cup tequila
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream, heated

Chocolate Sauce
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup strong coffee

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
Powdered sugar for dusting

Crêpes:  Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, chile powder, and salt, and set aside. Measure milk in a glass measuring cup and add butter, heat in the microwave until butter is melted.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the eggs, whisking until well incorporated. Slowly pour the warm milk-butter mixture into the batter, and whisk to blend. Strain the batter through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup and set aside to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

chocolate crepes

Heat a flat griddle to medium-high heat, using a ladle drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter onto the griddle, forming a 4 to 5-inch crêpe. When the bubbles begin to form, turn the crêpe over, cook briefly, and then flip it onto a flat plate. Continue cooking and stacking the crepes until the batter is gone, making between 18-20 crepes.

Filling:  Peel the bananas and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch coins. Place the bananas, tequila, and cinnamon in a large bowl and toss to coat.

sugar

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat and add the sugar. Cook over high heat until the sugar is melted and turns light brown.

melted sugar

Stay at the stove and watch the pan carefully, tilting the skillet as the sugar melts in the hot spots in the skillet.

add cream

Carefully add the warm cream.

combine cream and caramel

It will bubble up and steam.

caramel sauce

Continue cooking until the mixture is smooth.

add bananas

Add the banana mixture and sauté bananas until they are softened and caramelized.

caramelized bananas

Chocolate Sauce:  Put the chocolate chips, chile powder, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Combine the cream and coffee in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave until boiling.

hot cream to chocolate

Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Stir until smooth and put into a plastic squeeze bottle.

chocolate tacos with caramelized bananas

Assembly:  Place two crepes on each dessert plate. Spoon equal portions of the banana filling on one half of each pancake. Fold the other half of the crêpe over to resemble a soft taco.

tacos with caramelized bananas1

Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce over the tacos, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, and sift powdered sugar over the entire plate.

Serves 8 to 10


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2 comments

1 Marissa { 02.10.14 at 9:57 AM }

Holy crap this looks so good! Jeff & I are going out (to Gitane!) on Wednesday to celebrate, so maybe on Friday this will have to be what we have!

2 Linda Hopkins { 02.10.14 at 10:03 AM }

Gitane! Jealous. Have fun. I’m so happy to have you back home, not only for the obvious reasons, but for all the sweet comments too! xoxo

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