sesame banana pudding.

The first signs of rhubarb showed up this weekend and while I am very excited about it (and all the incredible desserts that are to come) I can't get this sesame banana pudding out of my head.  

I made this pudding last weekend when it was rainy and gloomy and both Tyler and I couldn't get enough of it.  Homemade sesame wafers get tucked between layers of banana pudding and sliced bananas.  The whole thing is topped with a toasted meringue that makes the entire dessert feel incredibly fancy.   It's definitely a dessert that makes and entrance and one that I think everyone will love.   

Sesame Banana Pudding
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit 

The original recipe said it serves 8.  I made a half batch and after seeing how much it made, I think a full batch can serve anywhere from 12-14 people (unless you want to eat a tub of banana pudding).   

Sesame Wafers

1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pudding And Assembly

7 ripe bananas, divided
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
4 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Sesame Wafers: Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, sesame seeds, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg, egg yolk, oil, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients. Cover dough and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Drop dough by the tablespoonful onto 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Bake wafers, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until brown around the edges, 13–16 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.

Pudding and Assembly: Rub 3 bananas with oil. Roast (oven should still be at 375°) on a parchment-lined baking sheet until skins are dark brown and flesh is popping out, 25–35 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, bring milk, butter, and ¼ cup sugar to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, vanilla, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Adding ¼ cupful at a time, whisk in one-third of hot cream mixture, then whisk egg mixture into remaining cream mixture in saucepan. Cook pudding, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl set over an ice bath; let cool.

Peel roasted bananas and process in a food processor (or beat by hand) until smooth. Stir into pudding.

Slice remaining 4 bananas ¼" thick. Ladle one-third of pudding into a 9½" deep pie dish or 8x8" glass baking dish. Layer half of wafers over pudding; top with half of bananas. Repeat, layering with half of remaining pudding and wafers and all of bananas. Finish with a layer of remaining pudding, then wafers. 

Meanwhile, using electric mixer with clean beaters, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Increase speed to high, gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 1 minute. Working in 3 batches and beating well after each, add powdered sugar. Beat until meringue is very stiff, dense, and glossy.

Let pudding cool slightly, then decoratively spread meringue over top. Toast with a kitchen torch, if desired.

Do Ahead: Dessert (without meringue) can be assembled 6 hours ahead; chill.

dark chocolate pudding.

Tuesday's require chocolate.  Preferably rich, dark chocolate (my personal preference).   

Brownies would be the obvious (and probably slightly easier) choice but I'm here to make the case for this chocolate pudding which truly knocks my socks off.   A cross between a typical American style chocolate pudding and a French pot de creme, it's the best of both worlds.  Impossibly silky and incredibly rich it exudes decadence but doesn't feel over the top.   It works as a celebratory dessert (I served it on Valentine's Day) but I like it best as part of my Tuesday evening catch-up with John Oliver's Last Week Tonight.   It makes the middle of the week feel all the more special.   

Dark Chocolate Pudding
Recipe via NYTimes

Serves 6-8

1 large egg, plus 2 yolks
6 ounces/170 grams bittersweet chocolate, preferably 66 percent to 74 percent cacao, chopped
2 tablespoons/30 grams unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon/5 milliliters vanilla extract
2 ½ cups/590 milliliters whole milk
½ cup/120 milliliters heavy cream
⅓ cup/67 grams light or dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons/15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons/20 grams cornstarch
¼ teaspoon/2 grams fine sea salt
Whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving
Chocolate shavings, for garnish (optional)
Flaky sea salt, for garnish (optional)

In a small heatproof bowl, whisk together egg and yolks. Set aside.

Place chocolate, butter and vanilla extract in a food processor or blender but don’t turn on.

In a medium pot, whisk together milk, cream, brown sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt until smooth. Bring to a full boil, whisking, and let bubble for 1 to 2 minutes to activate cornstarch. At that point, it will start to thicken, and when it does immediately pull the pot off the heat. (You don’t want to overboil the cornstarch, which can cause it to thin out again.)

Pour a little of the hot cornstarch mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly to prevent them from curdling, then pour eggs back into the pan with the remaining cornstarch mixture. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture just returns to a bare simmer (one bubble is plenty). Immediately pour into the food processor or blender. Run the machine until the pudding is very smooth (the hot milk mixture will melt the chocolate).

Pour into individual bowls or teacups or 1 large decorative bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm and cold, at least 4 hours for individual servings and as many as 8 hours for 1 large bowl. Pudding can be made 3 days ahead. Serve with whipped cream or whipped crème fraîche, decorated with chocolate shavings and a pinch of sea salt, if you like.

cherry clafoutis.

Come summer time, I like to pretend I'm French.  I spend most of June searching for the perfect nude flat leather sandal and the easiest and simplest loose black cotton dress (because any respectable French woman owns these items) .  The kind of thing that can be dressed up with wedges and dressed down by being barefoot.  Dinners get eaten by the light of the setting sun usually accompanied by chilled glasses of rose and wedges of local cheeses.  Dessert always involves seasonal fruit that is prepared in a way that lets the fruit shine.  Cherry clafoutis is the epitome of rustic French desserts (even the word clafoutis sounds rustic!).  Cherries get suspended in a pudding like batter and as the clafoutis bakes, it puffs up like a pancake, enrobing each cherry in custard.  It's perfection and beyond simple and the kind of thing the begs to be eaten outdoors on hot summer nights. 

Cherry Clafoutis

Recipe is from Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan

1 lb (450 g) sweet cherries, stemmed (you can pit them or leave them unpitted your choice!)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup of whole milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Ensure that your oven rack is centred in the oven.

Generously grease a 9 inch pie or quiche pan with butter.

Place the washed and dried cherries into the prepared baking dish in a single layer.

In a medium bowl whisk the 3 eggs until they are light and frothy. Add in the sugar and beat with a whisk for a minute or so until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the pinch of salt and the vanilla and whisk well. Add in the flour and beat the mixture vigorously until the flour is well incorporated and smooth. Gradually pour in the milk and cream and whisk until well incorporated. Rap the bowl against the counter to release any air bubbles and then pour the batter over the cherries in the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until the clafoutis is puffed up and golden brown and when a sharp knife blade inserted into the centre of the clafoutis comes out clean.

Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow the clafoutis to cool to room temperature. When you are ready to serve, dust the clafoutis with confectioner’s sugar  by using a fine mesh sieve.

Serves 6.

yogurt panna cotta with roasted rhubarb compote and maple caramelized nuts.

I ate a large amount of sweets while out west.  Homemade ice cream sandwiches from State Bird Provisions, root beer floats and chocolate ginger cookies at Ad Hoc, and bacon chocolate bars from Animal.  I was a gluttonous pig feasting on sweets and I have no shame in admitting that (I can also justify it with the fact that we walked and hiked a great deal which is why I actually came home in better shape than when I left.  I love when that happens.)  Of all the desserts we ate the standout one was the yogurt panna cotta with wild blueberry compote and caramelized nuts from Baco Mercat.  (I labeled this one of my top 10 dishes!)  The flavors were superb – tart, tangy, and sweet.  The texture was equally excellent - creamy and crunchy.  They boy and I were both smitten with the dish probably because it tasted like a pie and pudding mash-up (and who doesn’t love a good dessert mash-up).  Upon returning home, it was on the top of the list of things to make but with a more seasonal spin.  Rhubarb seemed appropriately tart and a perfect counterpart to crunchy maple caramelized walnuts.  This is one of those super fancy looking desserts that cause people to ohh and ahh over it but really it couldn’t be easier.  While it’s perfect for a fancy dinner party, I prefer serving it just because since it elevates the everyday into something special (it also makes for a lovely if slightly indulgent breakfast). 

Yogurt Panna Cotta

Recipe via Smitten Kitchen

Makes 1 9-inch round panna cotta or 6 4-inch ramekins with about 2/3-cup servings

Let’s talk about sugar for a second.  I went with ½ cup since I thought with the tart rhubarb the sugar would be necessary, but I would personally prefer it a little tarter.  My suggestion is 1/3 of a cup, I think that would be ideal, but ¼ cup would also work well with a sweeter compote (or even with the rhubarb if you prefer tart!)  Expect more compote recipes as the season progresses.  Maybe this will be the summer of compote!

Neutral oil such as canola or safflower

4 tablespoons (60ml) water

2 ½ teaspoons (1 packet or ¼ ounce or 7 grams) unflavored gelatin

2 cups (460 grams) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 cups (475 ml) milk, heavy cream, or some combination of the two (want about ½ cup of cream)

¼ - ½ cup (50 – 100 grams) sugar (see my comments above)

2 tablespoons (30ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice from about ½ lemon

If you plan to unmold the panna cotta later, lightly coat the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan or smaller dessert cups with the oil. (No need to if you will scoop it from its cups.)

Place water in a small bowl. Stir in gelatin and set aside until the gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk all of yogurt and 1 cup of milk, cream or a mixture thereof. In a small saucepan, bring remaining milk or cream and sugar to a simmer. Stir in water-gelatin mixture (it will dissolve immediately) and remove from heat. Whisk this mixture into the yogurt mixture, then stir in lemon juice at the end. Pour mixture into cake pan or smaller cups and chill in fridge for at least 2 hours for small cups and up to 8 for a large pan. It’s best to do this the night before you need it, to be safe.

To unmold the cake pan, fill a larger baking dish with 1-inch boiling water. Dip panna cotta cake pan in it for 10 seconds, then flip it out onto a flat round platter. (A curved one will cause the panna cotta to appear sunken in the middle.)

To unmold smaller dishes, bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer and dip the bottom of a small panna cotta cup in one for five seconds, then invert it onto a plate. Repeat with remaining cups.

To serve – Top with rhubarb compote (recipe below) and 2 tablespoons chopped maple candied walnuts (recipe also below). 

Roasted Rhubarb Compote

Recipe adapted from Chow

Makes about 2 cups (for each ramekin to get 1/3 cup)

1 pound rhubarb

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)

½ cup granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange a rack in the middle.  Rinse rhubarb under cold water, trim ends, and remove any leaves.  Slice each stalk in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 1-inch pieces. 

Combine rhubarb, lemon juice, and sugar in an 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish; toss together until rhubarb is well coated with sugar. 

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the rhubarb has released a lot of juice and the mixture is bubbling, about 35 minutes. 

Remove the foil and continue baking until the juices are slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool. 

Maple Candied Walnuts

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

2  teaspoons unsalted butter

¼ cup pure maple syrup

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Coarse salt

1 cup walnuts (3 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, and ½ teaspoons salt.  Bring to a simmer (mixture should be frothy), about 3 minutes.  Add walnuts, and toss to coat using a rubber spatula.  Cook, stirring, until sauce is syrupy and bubbly, about 3 minutes. 

Transfer walnut mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into a single layer.  Bake until walnuts are caramelized, about 10 minutes.  Transfer sheet to a wire rack.  Stir, and let stand until cool and hardened, about 30 minutes. 

pumpkin bread pudding.

I spent the last hour of my life trying to figure out what to say about this bread pudding and the only thing I could think of is that it’s the most perfect bread pudding and the single best fall dessert.  It’s soft and creamy and spicy and has the perfect amount of textural contrast with the addition of diced apples and dried cranberries.  This begs to be made on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the temperatures are cool and you are craving something warm and cozy.  I love to serve it with a strong bourbon-cider cocktail but a tall glass of milk is just as good if it happens to be made on a school night.    

Be forewarned, the boy and I have been known to polish off almost the entire thing in one evening.  If you manage not to then you have far better self control then us (but I already know everyone has better self control then me).  

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Recipe adapted from Gourmet

1 ½ cups whole milk (or 1 cup skim milk ½ cup heavy cream)

1 cup canned solid packed pumpkin

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

6 cups day old baguette or other crusty bread

2 apples, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes

¼ cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat over to 350 degrees with the wire rack in the middle.  While the oven is preheating, place the butter in an 8 x 8 inch square baking pan or a pie pan and then place the pan in oven for the butter to melt. 

In a bowl toss together the bread cubes, apple, and dried cranberries.  Whisk together the milk/cream, pumpkin, sugar, eggs, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Remove the pan from the oven when the butter is melted and drizzle the butter over the bread cubes.  Then pour the pumpkin mixture over the bread cubes making sure all the bread gets coated.  Transfer the bread/pumpkin mixture to the buttered dish and bake until custard is set, about 25 – 30 minutes.