Bananas Foster Profiteroles

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy-bottomed saucepan
• •Stand mixer or wooden spoon with strong arm
• •Piping bag with 1/2-inch round tip
• •Two rimmed baking sheets
• •Large skillet (12-inch)
• •Long matches or lighter for flambé
• •Ice cream scoop

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the choux base

   Set your oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Combine water, butter pieces, sugar, and salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. The butter should melt completely just as the water reaches a boil. Watch this carefully. If the water boils too long before the butter melts, you'll lose liquid to evaporation and throw off your ratio.

   Cut your butter into small pieces so it melts quickly and evenly. Cold butter in a block takes too long.
2. 2

   Cook the flour

   The moment the mixture boils and the butter has melted, dump in all the flour at once. Immediately reduce heat to medium and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough will look rough and shaggy at first, then come together into a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Keep stirring for another minute or two. You're cooking out the raw flour taste and drying the dough slightly. You'll see a thin film form on the bottom of the pan. That's your signal.

   That film on the pan bottom tells you the dough is dry enough. Without this step, your puffs won't rise properly.
3. 3

   Add the eggs

   Transfer the hot dough to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a large bowl and wooden spoon if you've got the arm for it. Let the dough cool for two minutes, stirring occasionally to release steam. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition. The dough will break apart and look curdled after each egg. Keep beating. It comes back together into something glossy and smooth.

   Room temperature eggs incorporate much better than cold. Set them out an hour before, or warm them in a bowl of hot water for five minutes.
4. 4

   Test the consistency

   The finished dough should be thick but pipeable. Lift some with your spoon and let it fall back into the bowl. It should drop in a thick ribbon that holds its shape briefly before sinking back in. If it's too stiff, beat in a tablespoon of water. If it's too loose (which happens if your eggs were very large), you can't fix it, so add eggs carefully.

5. 5

   Pipe the puffs

   Transfer dough to a piping bag fitted with a half-inch round tip, or use a sturdy zip-lock bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe mounds about an inch and a half wide onto your prepared sheets, leaving two inches between them. They'll puff considerably. Dip your finger in water and gently press down any peaks so they don't burn. Brush the tops lightly with egg wash for that beautiful golden color.

6. 6

   Bake until golden and hollow

   Bake at 400F for 15 minutes. The puffs will rise dramatically and turn golden. Reduce heat to 350F and bake another 15 to 18 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp. Here's the test: pick one up. It should feel light, almost hollow. If it feels heavy, it needs more time. The interior should be dry, not doughy.

   Don't open that oven door for the first 15 minutes. The rush of cool air can collapse your puffs before they've set.
7. 7

   Cool and store the shells

   Transfer puffs to a wire rack and poke a small hole in the bottom of each with a skewer or knife tip. This lets steam escape and keeps them crisp. Cool completely. You can make these a day ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a 350F oven for five minutes before filling.

8. 8

   Make the Bananas Foster sauce

   When you're ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles, about two minutes. It should smell like a carnival, all butter and warm spices.

9. 9

   Add the bananas

   Slice bananas on the bias, about half an inch thick. Lay them gently into the bubbling sauce in a single layer. Cook just until they begin to soften and the edges turn golden, about one minute per side. The bananas should hold their shape. Overcooked bananas turn to mush, and nobody wants that.

10. 10

    Flambé with rum

    Remove the pan from heat. Add rum and banana liqueur if using. Return to heat. If you're cooking over gas, tip the pan slightly toward the flame to ignite the alcohol. If electric, use a long match or lighter. The flames will leap up blue and beautiful, then die down as the alcohol burns off. Add vanilla, swirl the pan, and you're done.

    Keep your face and hands back when you flambé. The flames can jump higher than you expect. It's dramatic, not dangerous, as long as you respect the fire.
11. 11

    Assemble the profiteroles

    Work quickly now. Slice each choux puff in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on serving plates, three per person. Top each with a generous scoop of banana ice cream. Set the tops on at a jaunty angle. Spoon the warm sauce and banana slices over everything, letting it pool on the plate. Scatter toasted pecans over the top. Serve immediately. The contrast of temperatures is the whole point.

Chef Tips

• •At Lagniappe, we make our own banana ice cream by folding mashed ripe bananas into a vanilla custard base. If you're buying it, look for a brand with real banana pieces, not just flavoring.
• •The rum matters here. Use a good dark rum, something you'd sip on its own. The cheap stuff tastes harsh and doesn't mellow the same way when flambéed.
• •Bananas for Foster should be ripe but still firm. If they're spotted and soft, they'll fall apart in the pan. Save those overripe ones for banana bread.
• •You can make the choux shells up to two days ahead and store them in an airtight container. The sauce must be made fresh, right before serving, while your guests watch if you can manage it.
• •If the flame makes you nervous, you can skip the flambé and just simmer the rum for a minute to cook off the alcohol. You lose a little theater but none of the flavor.

Advance Preparation

• •Choux shells can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Recrisp in a 350F oven for 5 minutes before filling.
• •Toast and chop the pecans up to a week ahead. Store in an airtight container.
• •The Bananas Foster sauce must be made immediately before serving. It takes only 5 minutes and loses its magic as it sits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)