Banana Bread French Toast with Peanut Butter Mousse

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Step 2

Whisk together the cream, milk, nutmeg and eggs in a bowl. Working in batches, soak the banana bread slices in the mixture.

Step 3

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat with a bit of the butter. Cook a batch of the banana bread slices until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Cook the remaining slices, adding more butter as needed.

Step 4

Cut the bananas into oblique slices, place on a baking sheet and coat with the sugar. Brulee them with a kitchen torch or under a broiler (or leave raw if you do not have a torch or broiler).

Step 5

Arrange the French toast on plates, top with a quenelle (oval-shaped scoop) of the Peanut Butter Mousse, spread the bruleed bananas about, grate chocolate over the top of it all and serve with a side of the warm Cinnamon Maple Syrup.

Step 6

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

Step 7

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.

Step 8

Combine the banana, buttermilk and vanilla in a bowl. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a second bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and paddle just to combine. Scrape down the sides and then add the buttermilk and banana mixture. Scrape down again, and add the remaining flour until just combined uniformly.

Step 9

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake on the center rack until a toothpick inserted in the loaf comes out clean, 50 minutes to an hour, depending on your oven. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from the pan to cool completely.

Step 10

Whisk the cream to medium peaks and set aside.

Step 11

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway, until the mixture is uniform, about 5 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture, a third at a time. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Step 12

Blacken the cinnamon a bit on a gas burner.

Step 13

Put the maple syrup in a pan and heat until warm. Remove from the heat, add the blackened cinnamon sticks and let steep in the syrup for 20 minutes.