When I first read that bananas are popular in West Africa’s island country São Tomé and Príncipe, I envisioned them eaten raw on the surf-swept beaches… or perhaps sold battered and fried with a cloud of powdered sugar. While all this certainly does happen, I never imagined I’d see them folded inside of a fluffy mousse, decked out with indulgent curls of dark chocolate. But I’m sure glad I did.
| Servings |
| 6-10 portions |
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When I first read that bananas are popular in West Africa’s island country São Tomé and Príncipe, I envisioned them eaten raw on the surf-swept beaches… or perhaps sold battered and fried with a cloud of powdered sugar. While all this certainly does happen, I never imagined I’d see them folded inside of a fluffy mousse, decked out with indulgent curls of dark chocolate. But I’m sure glad I did.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream , plus extra for whipped cream garnish
- 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (depends on the ripeness of your bananas)
- 2 bananas (ripe), mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 hunk milk chocolate – OR –
- dark chocolate , for curls
Servings: portions
Units:
Instructions
- Give the bananas a smooth mash with the back of the spoon. If chunks remain, it wasn’t ripe enough and you may need a food processor to smooth things out. No biggie.
- Stir together with the vanilla extract. Dab a little on vanilla your wrists as you go. Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Add about 1/3 of the whipped cream to the banana mixture, stirring well to combine. Fold the banana mixture into the rest of the whipped cream and whip it a few times to help incorporate, if necessary. Refrigerate in little glasses about 30 minutes, or until needed. Before serving, use a vegetable peeler to slowly shave chocolate curls on top of the mousse. The key is to go slowly. Also, milk chocolate is easier to curl than the more brittle dark chocolate.