Recipe: Caribbean Croque with Bananas

Name: Caribbean Croque with Bananas
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 8 large slices of whole wheat bread; 1.1 oz (30 g) butter; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 beautiful bananas; 4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 12 grains of coarse salt; 1 splash of brown rum

By chef patrick Asfaux 5/5 (1 review)

Prep 5 min

Cook 5 min

Total 10 min

Servings 4 serv.

Somewhere between sweet French toast and a hot sandwich, the Caribbean croque plays its own tune. Sliced bananas, brown rum, cinnamon and ginger are packed between two toasted slices, then it crisps in the press. Two minutes and your kitchen smells like the Caribbean.

Ingredients for 4 servings

Adjust for

servings

8 large slices of whole wheat bread
1.1 oz (30 g) butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 beautiful bananas
4 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
12 grains of coarse salt
1 splash of brown rum

Step-by-step directions

1 Toast the bread slices while they are still hot on one side, butter them and add the cane sugar, spread it well and flip the slices.

2 On 4 slices, arrange the bananas sliced thinly, then add the cinnamon, ginger (very little), 3 grains of coarse salt, 1 tablespoon of condensed milk, and finish with a splash of brown rum.

3 Place the 4 other slices on top pressing firmly, then put them in your croque maker 2 by 2.

4 Your croques will come out lightly caramelized and all the Creole aromas will fill your home. Serve very hot with for example a tropical fruit salad, good vanilla ice cream or coconut ice cream. For an elegant presentation, on a large plate, on one side the croque, on the other a small bowl with ice cream and in the center a small tasting glass with 1 fl oz (3 cl) of aged amber rum. Tip: to make it more practical, prepare your croques before the meal and put them in your maker when you reach the cheese course.

A chef's advice

The ginger must stay subtle, really very little. If you pour a full spoon, it will overpower the banana and the rum. Three grains of coarse salt per croque, that's the key: it awakens the sweetness without tasting salty. The sweetened condensed milk serves as glue, not a sweetener. And the croque maker must be really hot, otherwise you drag on and the bread softens instead of caramelizing.