How is it already March. I really don’t understand. If somebody came up to me and told me we are 3 months into 2023, I simply wouldn’t believe them. But my calender confirms it, and it is March. And my calender never lies.
On another note, the weather is all over the place! One day it’s 35, the next its 82 degrees! How am I supposed to know when to wear a sweater, and when to wear a T-shirt? And I know I’ve said this for the past 5 posts but I WANT SNOW. It is march and there is still. No. SNOW. In some places, people are getting 20 inches of snow in one day. So this is me politely asking if you could please donate some of that to us? I would really appreciate it.
Anywho, lets talk dessert. And who wouldn’t want to talk about dessert when THIS is what we are talking about.
It is a well known fact that I love banana bread. I feel like most people do. It’s such a great feeling when you’ve got a bunch of black bananas that you’re gonna throw away, but then you have the stunning realization: I can make banana bread. It’s easy, simple, and oh so cozy and delicious. You can eat it anytime of year, and it will be equally enjoyed.
You know what I said about banana bread being easy? Funny thing about me, I have a habit of making things overly complicated. But in this case it is a good thing. A VERY good thing.
Picture a classic peice of warming banana bread, with toasty walnuts and nutty brown butter. But picture it warm, with a nice crispy and caramelized exterior and loaded with sweet and creamy vanilla bean custard. That’s what we’re talking about today.
Describe this Banana Bread to me
Taste: The taste of this dessert is pretty classic. Its got a nice mellow and sweet flavor from the bananas, a touch of spices, warm nuttiness from the brown butter, and a little toasty crunch from the walnuts. It gets a nice buttery flavor when you grill it, which well compliments the sweet and creamy vanilla bean custard.
Texture: This banana bread still has that soft, even a little sticky texture that you are used to. But when we grill it it gets a crispy and caramelized on the outside, warming you up. The vanilla custard is ultra smooth, and melts a little when it sits on the warm bread. The bread will sort of soak up the custard a little bit, leaving you with the slightest bit of bread pudding vibes.
Ease: Banana bread is typically a pretty quick and easy thing to make. The actual bread is super quick to whip up, but don’t forget to leave time to brown the butter and toast the walnuts. The bread also needs to bake for close to an hour because it’s so dense, but thats ok because we can make the custard while it bakes. The custard is also relatively quick to make, it should only take about 10 minutes. But again, don’t forget to leave time to chill it for a few hours. The grilling process is also pretty simple, but it will take an additional 5 ish minutes. So, in the whole, this recipe is a tad complicated but trust me when I say that it is well worth it.
The Bread
The bread itself is a pretty classic banana bread. There are just a few little things that are different. First of all, we brown the butter. Whenever I have the chance to brown butter, Imma do it. It adds a deep, nutty flavor to any baked good, which in this case matches perfectly with the sweet bananas and toasty walnuts. Speaking of walnuts, another key component to this bread is toasting them. Many banana bread recipes use nuts, but for this banana bread I like to toast them in the oven for a few minuts before adding them to the batter. This adds a cozy and warming flavor to the bread that we all appreciate. From here on it’s pretty familiar: Bananas, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and a few other kitchen staples. Just whisk it all up, and toss it in the oven.
The Custard
I knew I wanted something creamy and sweet to go with this toasty grilled bread, but I didn’t want something as solid as ice cream. Enter this basic vanilla custard! Its sweet and creamy, but also pourable. Its like a sauce to dip every forkfull of this bread in. Its naturaly sweetened with honey, and comes together with a handfull of kitchen staples. Custard can be a little tricky to cook properly, so if your worried look at my troubleshooting and tips section for some advice!
Why Grill it?
So why the heck are we wasting our time grilling this pefectly good banana bread? Let me tell you, it is not a waste of time. It adds a crispy exterior, and a buttery flavor. Not to mention it makes it warm, creating the perfect cozy winter dessert. It only takes a few moments to do, and adds so much! There are two ways to grill it. You can grill it to a light even brown, to get a gentle crisp, and light buttery flavor. You can also grill it for a little longer and char it a tad in some spots. This gives it a little bitter taste as well as the usual butteriness. It’s almost like banana brûlée, but easier.
Troubleshooting and Tips
Brown your butter first: I recommend browning your butter first thing. This leaves time for it to cool down a little before adding it to the batter. If you add it while it is still warm, then you run the risk of cooking the eggs and the batter might split. And that’s just icky.
Toast the walnuts: This small detail enhances the flavor of this bread so much. It adds a cozy kind of flavor to it, and only takes 5 minutes to do. Just chop up some walnuts and throw them in the oven for a few minutes. I promise it is worth it.
Tent with Foil: I recommend tenting the top of the bread with tin foil about halfway through the baking process. This prevents over-browning on the top.
Cracks on top: Your bread will most likely develop big cracks on the top when baked, and thats ok! As you can see in the pictures, mine does to. The reason for this is that the outside of the bread will cook first, and in order to make sure the inside gets cooked to, the bread will crack itself open to expose the not yet cooked parts. It’s not the prettiest thing but it’s kinda cool when you think about it!
Under-bake the bread: I know this doesn’t seem like a good thing, but I have found under-baking the banana bread just a tad to be really helpful. We do this because the bread will cook a little more when we grill the individual slices. So to compensate and prevent dry bread, leave it a little underdone!
Make ahead: I recommend making the bread a day before you plan to serve it. Letting the bread chill in the fridge is really helpful in ensuring that the grilling process goes smoothly. It will make the bread sturdier if it has time to really chill overnight. You can also make the custard the day before because it will keep for a little under a week.
Stir your custard: When making the custard make sure you are stirring constantly so that the eggs won’t scramble. We are slowly and just barely cooking the eggs to create a smooth custard.
Vanilla: I use vanilla bean paste to get a really tasty and pure vanilla flavor. You can also use vanilla extract, or real vanilla beans.
Grilled Banana Bread with Vanilla Bean Custard
Ingredients
Method
- I recommend reading through this recipe entirely before starting so you can plan your timing!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the chopped walnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 3-5 minutes or until golden and toasty. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while we prepare the rest of the bread.
- Add the butter to a medium skillet and allow it to melt over medium heat. Once melted allow it to brown. It will bubble and sizzle and then you will begin to see brown specks. Once the specks have turned a dark caramel color, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl to cool for just 10 minutes.
- Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or pastry cutter until broken down. It will still have lumps, that ok! Whisk in the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and slightly cooled brown butter until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir using a rubber spatula, being careful not to over mix. Finally, fold in the toasted walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven and tent with tinfoil (to prevent over browning). Then return to the oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool completely at room temperature before covering with foil and transferring to the fridge for 24 hours. This chill time is technically optional, but I highly recommend doing this because it lets the bread set up, making it easier to grill.
- In a large saucepan, whisk the eggs and honey together. Add the salt and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Allow this to come to a boil on medium heat, whisking constantly. Make sure you keep the mixture constantly moving, or the eggs will curdle. The mixture should thicken slightly as it cooks, and can easily coat the back of a wooden spoon. This will take around 5-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the custard into a jar and seal tightly. Chill the custard for at least 2 hours. Custard will thicken as it chills.
- Place roughly a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and allow it to melt over medium heat. While melting, spread a thin layer of butter on both sides of a slice of the chilled banana bread. The slices can be any thickness you want, but grilling is easier when they are thicker. Place however many slices of banana bread you are serving (and can fit with some wiggle room for flipping in your skillet) on the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned and caramelized.
- Plate by placing a slice of the grilled bread right off of the grill on a serving plate and topping with however much of the chilled custard you please. Eat and enjoy!
- The not grilled banana bread will keep for up to five days sealed in the refrigerator. The custard will also keep for up to five days sealed in the refrigerator.