Banana Surprise: Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls Online has more banana recipes than any other game I’ve seen. So much so that I had to research whether some of the combinations (like banana and fish) were made up for the sake of the game or if people actually ate that. Well joke’s on me because cultures around the world use bananas for more than sweets way more often than I thought. Now I have a whole new flavor profile to delve into! Hooray! But for this recipe, we are purely celebrating the banana itself. Banana Surprise contains baked banana, boiled banana, fresh banana, and vanilla cream to top it all of (what, did you think I was going to make banana cream? Not this time… but maaaaaybe…).

Get ready to impress your guests, significant other, new date, or just indulge yourself with this decadent fried banana bread with banana compote and creme anglaise. If you love bananas you will NOT be disappointed.

See corresponding recipes:
Mistral Banana Bread
Bananas in Moon Sugar Syrup
Boiled Creme

Step 1:

Cut 3/4in slices of banana bread. You can get roughly 8 from a loaf using my Mistral Banana Bread recipe.
Heat a large stainless steel or enameled cast iron sauté pan on medium-low heat. A nonstick pan will work as well if you don’t have one of the others. Melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter until it browns. Browning butter is when the milk solids (the white parts of the butter after melting) start to turn brown and smell fragrant and nutty, but not so dark that they burn and smell bitter.

Add 2 of the banana bread slices and fry for 1.5 minutes per side. The sugar in the bread will caramelize quickly and can burn easily. If your first two slices are too dark after 1.5 minutes per side, lower the stove temperature a bit for the next batch. Remove the slices and place on paper towels to drain.

Repeat step 1 until you’ve fried all the slices you want to serve.

Below you can see the difference 30 seconds can make in the outcome of frying something sugary. The slice on the top was fried for 2 minutes and the slice on the bottom was fried for 1.5 minutes. Obviously that golden brown is more the color and flavor we’re trying to accomplish. It should also feel slightly crispy to the touch. No soggy breads here.

I hadn’t fried a lot of bread before, and never banana bread so I was curious what oils would be best. I tried ghee – which was good but seemed rather flavorless in the end, grapeseed oil – which was slightly green/fruity up front but didn’t hold up well after the toppings were added, canola oil – which honestly I knew I probably wouldn’t like. It was fishy, as always, because of the high content of Omega fatty acids. And, of course, I tried butter, which obviously was my favorite. Slightly nutty without being oily or distracting once the toppings were added.

Step 2:

Time to assemble! Plate your freshly fried banana bread and top with banana compote (Bananas in Moon Sugar Syrup) and creme anglaise (Boiled Creme). Toss some crumbled walnuts on top and serve with a side of perfectly-ripe fresh bananas.

Full Recipe

Ingredients:

8 slices of Mistral Banana Bread
6 tablespoons of butter, divided into 1.5 tablespoon pats
Bananas in Moon Sugar Syrup
Boiled Creme
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
4 perfectly-ripe or under-ripe bananas, cut in half and cut in half again length-wise (or coins, if preferred)

Step 1:
Cut 3/4in slices of banana bread.
Heat a large stainless steel or enameled cast iron sauté pan on medium-low heat. A nonstick pan will work as well if you don’t have one of the others. Melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter until it browns and smells fragrant and nutty, but not so dark that it burns and smells bitter.

Add 2 of the banana bread slices and fry for 1.5 minutes per side. The sugar in the bread will caramelize quickly and can burn easily. If your first two slices are too dark after 1.5 minutes per side, lower the stove temperature a bit for the next batch. Remove the slices and place on paper towels to drain.

Repeat step 1 until you’ve fried all the slices you want to serve.

Step 2:
If using walnuts – heat a small sauté pan over medium heat and add walnuts. Toss occasionally and heat until the nuts become fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Assemble by plating your freshly fried banana bread and top with banana compote (Bananas in Moon Sugar Syrup) and creme anglaise (Boiled Creme). Toss some crumbled walnuts on top and serve with a side of perfectly-ripe fresh bananas.