It is 10pm on a Friday night. My husband and I, then living as 20-something childless yuppies, have celebrated the end of the week with a bottle of wine. Maybe there is a second bottle around here somewhere…
Yeah, no. There is definitely another bottle being cracked. And a pot of tea on the go? Grown up double fisting!
Our apartment is lit with candlelight because- romance. Our outfits are pajamas because- comfort. Dinner was probably steak and fresh pasta or some other indulgent treat, but ya know, that was a couple hours and a bottle of wine ago…
We could really use some dessert.
I’m definitely not graduating back to real pants, not when I’m so comfortable and lazy. Time to raid the pantry and see what sort of sweet treat I can come up with that won’t come out of the oven an hour from now when I’m already asleep in front of whatever Netflix gamble seemed like a good idea at the time.
And that’s how we came up with these…
In their original form, the puff pastry in these easy little treats was subbed with a flour tortilla and lightly fried- dessert chimichangas. If you don’t have puff pastry (or the patience for 30 minutes), do that instead. Wrap the whole banana and nutella in a tortilla, shallow fry it in a pan until golden on all sides. Slice in half diagonally and serve with ice cream. Just as easy, just as delicious, even quicker- only a little less impressive looking.
Because we’re classy and responsible grown ups now (ha!) we started making these with puff pastry instead. If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll know we love us some frozen puff pastry on this site. It’s easy, it’s versatile, it’s delicious, it’s beautiful. Puff pastry makes everything amazing.
It also inspired me to call these little beauties ‘éclairs,‘ although I’m sure the French Pastry Mafia will have my head for that. These aren’t real éclairs. They’re not made of choux dough, nor are they filled with cream… but sort of. They schmeck of éclairs. They are inspired by éclairs (like those movies that are Based on a True Story).
The banana in the middle- a ripe banana, but not an overripe one like you would use for banana bread- cooks and softens, but maintains it’s colour and structure. It bakes just enough to become, well, custardy.
So we have fluffy, buttery pastry, sumptuous melted hazelnut chocolate and a banana custard. It is a real éclair? No. But it will certainly satisfy the craving.
Nowadays, we make this at 8pm, not 10, and after two glasses of wine, not bottles. Doesn’t make it any less satisfying, though. Ahh, the joys of parenthood…
| Banana Nutella 'Éclairs' | Print |
- 1 square puff pastry (1/2 package)
- All purpose flour, for dusting
- 1 egg + water, for egg wash
- 2 ripe bananas
- 4 Tbsp Nutella
- 1 Tbsp hazelnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 1 Tbsp icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- Roll puff pastry out into a large square on a lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife or pastry cutter, slice the square down the centre lengthwise, creating two tall rectangles.
- Lay a peeled banana in the middle of each rectangle then smear Nutella along one side of each banana. Fold in short edges of each rectangle, then roll up the pastry around the bananas reasonably tightly, as if you're making a banana burrito. Place both rolls on the lined baking sheet.
- Using a sharp knife, diagonally score the tops of both rolls. Brush with egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately, whole or sliced into large rounds. Pairs excellently with cold vanilla ice cream.
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