banana crepes

Inspiration can come from almost anywhere.  Big or small.

Growing up, there was an abundance of fresh fruit on hand.  All from the garden my father would lovingly tend.  Baskets filled to the brim, and arriving sometimes daily to the household kitchen, the always-varied selection of fruit was customarily served au naturel.  It was kept simple, and seldom served beyond a pairing of vanilla ice-cream or plain yoghurt.

On rare occasion when we did indulge in a sweet after-dinner luxury — that was not the unadulterated freshness of homegrown fruit! — we were almost always treated to one thing.  Served the same way.  A stack of crispy, wafer thin crêpes, drenched in fresh lemon juice and finished with a healthy sprinkling of sugar.

These two simple, but significant, memories have inspired me to create a fruit dessert of my own.  A dessert combining bananas, a favourite from my father’s garden, with crêpes, from my mother’s dessert repertoire. 

Remaining faithful to the simplicity of my childhood memories, and with my mother’s treasured crêpe recipe in hand, the ingredients of my fruit dessert are reserved – adding only caramel and macadamia to complement the original untainted flavours.

Simple caramelisation of the banana to enhance the natural sweetness, and gently heat the fruit to pair with a warm vessel such as a crêpe.  Macadamia to add crunch and texture, with the creamy, rich nut matching well with the caramel sauce that finishes the dish. 

All up, only a few modest ingredients.  Easy to prepare.  A delight to savour.

Sometimes, simple is better. 

{ Caramelised banana crêpes with roasted macadamia and caramel sauce }

Freshly cooked crêpes filled with banana caramelised in a simple combination of brown sugar and butter.  Finished with a petite drizzle of caramel sauce, and a small handful of roasted macadamia nuts.

* Ingredients *
One recipe basic crêpes
One recipe caramelised bananas
1/4 roasted macadamia nuts
Vanilla ice-cream to serve, optional

* Directions *
After preparing a stack of crêpes, set aside. Prepare the caramelised bananas. Fill each crêpe with 2-3 pieces of banana. Drizzle caramel sauce over the finished crêpe and garnish with a few roasted macadamia nuts. Vanilla ice-cream optional.

4-6 serves

{ Basic crêpe recipe } recipe by Mélanger’s mother

* Ingredients *
1 cup (150g/5oz) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
300ml milk

* Directions *
Mix flour and salt together. Make a hollow in the centre and mix in the egg. Gradually add the milk. Once fully mixed, refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Re-mix the batter as there may have been some settling. Fill a 1/4 cup half way, or measure out 2 tablespoons of mixture, and set aside. For each crêpe, melt about a teaspoon of butter/oil in a pan on medium heat. When it commences to smoke, lift the pan from the heat and tip on a 45 degree angle. Pour the prepared measure of mixture off centre into the pan and quickly swirl the mixture by continuing to tilt the pan but moving in a circular motion to distribute the batter evenly across the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook.  After a few minutes, you will start to see some bubble blister appear on the surface. The underside of the crêpe at this stage is starting to brown. When appropriately golden, flip and cook other side.

Makes approximately 10-12 crêpes.

{ Caramelised bananas }

* Ingredients *
2 bananas, sliced
60g/2 oz unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

* Directions *
Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat. Once sugar has dissolved, add the bananas. Watching carefully, gently cook until the bananas are well caramelised, and sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
 

Mum, thank you for your treasured crêpe recipe.   x