Barbecue Banana Custard
A smooth & creamy banana custard. Infused with vanilla & bananas that have been baked with sugar & rum in the embers of a barbecue. Sweet & slightly smoky, this one’s a belter!
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This custard is based on a dessert from my childhood. Bananas & custard!
Here we’re roasting bananas in the embers of a barbecue until soft & sticky then using them to infuse a rich & creamy egg custard. Add a touch of good quality vanilla & your in for a treat!
This custard goes incredibly well with my brown butter & miso treacle tart recipe. This can be found on the blog…
Ingredients Used
Bananas
The main flavouring for this custard! To cook these we are roasting them with sugar, butter & rum in the embers of a barbecue. This imparts a nice subtle smokiness to the bananas which we then use to infuse into our custard.
Whole Milk & Double Cream
For the richest, creamiest banana custard we need to be using milk & cream with a high fat percentage. This means using whole milk & double cream. If you in the USA, you’ll need to use heavy cream & whole milk.
Vanilla
You can’t make custard & not add in some vanilla. I’d recommend using a high quality vanilla paste or half a pod.
Egg Yolks
These thicken our custard & add richness. They do need cooking out gently though so make sure the custard reaches 82°/180°f before taking it off the heat.
Light Brown Sugar
To give our custard a deep, caramelised flavour, we’re using light brown sugar instead of caster. This complements the flavours from the roasted bananas really well. If you wanted an even deeper, intense flavour then you could use dark brown sugar instead.
Toasted Milk Powder
This is my secret ingredient when it comes to desserts & baking. Toasted milk powder is basically a dehydrated brown butter. Adding a small amount to this custard adds a subtle nutty flavour.
If you would like to learn how to make this, my recipe can be found here.
Cornflour
To thicken our custard up slightly, we’re going to be incorporating a small amount of cornflour. This gives this sauce a consistency that’s perfect for pouring. If you’d prefer a runnier custard then feel free to leave this out.
Cooking Bananas In A Barbecue
Cooking bananas in hot embers is a great way to impart a subtle smoky flavour. Leaving them in their skins to do this helps the flesh cook evenly & creates a space for us to add our sugar, butter & rum.
This is a great way to make the most of a lit barbecue but if you wanted to cook the bananas in an oven then that would work as well.
How To Make Banana Custard
Barbecue The Bananas
The first step is to cook the bananas in a barbecue so that we can use them to infuse the cream.
With the bananas still in their skins, cut them lengthways down the middle but don’t cut all the way through. Mix together butter, sugar & rum then spoon this into each banana.
Wrap each banana in a double layer of foil & cook for 20 minutes in hot embers, turning halfway through.
Infuse The Cream
Once the bananas have been cooked, scrape the flesh into a saucepan with milk, cream, vanilla, toasted milk powder & salt. Heat until steaming then leave to cool & refrigerate overnight.
Cook The Custard
The next day, place the infused cream into a saucepan with sugar & heat until steaming. Pass the warm cream into a jug, through a sieve. Whisk together egg yolks, cornflour & sugar then mix in the warm, infused cream.
Return this mix into the saucepan & cook gently until the custard is thick & has reached a temperature of 82°c/180°f. Make sure to stir this constantly so that the custard doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.
Strain & Serve
Strain the custard through a sieve, into a jug. It is now ready to serve.
If you have any leftover custard, cool it down with a piece of parchment on the surface then store in the fridge. To reheat, spoon into a saucepan & warm through over a low heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kept in the fridge, this custard will last for 2-3 days.
An oven would work as well. I’d go for a temperature around 180°c/355°f.
If you’d prefer to make a custard without bananas then feel free. I’d recommend increasing the amount of vanilla. On the blog, there is also a recipe for a toasted milk & vanilla custard that tastes just as good! I’ll link it below.
Equipment Used
Please note that these are affiliate links & I may make a small commission if you make a purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.
More Dessert Recipes
- Brown Butter & Miso Treacle Tart
- Small Batch Sticky Toffee Pudding
- Toasted Milk & Vanilla Custard
- Vanilla Ice Cream
- Rhubarb Frangipane Ice Cream
Barbecue Banana Custard
Equipment
- Barbecue
- Large Saucepan
- Heatproof Mixing Bowl
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
Bananas
- 2 Ripe Bananas
- 20 g Butter Softened
- 20 g Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Rum
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
Custard
- 300 ml Double Cream
- 300 ml Whole Milk
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 2 tsp Toasted Milk Powder
- A Pinch Of Table Salt
- 80 g Light Brown Sugar
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 10 g Cornflour
Instructions
Banana Infused Cream
- Light a good couple of handfuls of charcoal in a barbecue then leave to burn down into embers.
- Meanwhile, with the skins left on the bananas, cut lengthwise down the middle but don’t cut all the way through.
- Mix together the butter, sugar, rum & vanilla then spoon into the middle of each banana.
- Wrap each banana in a double layer of foil & place into the embers.
- Cook for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through.
- Remove from the embers & leave the bananas to cool.Next, place the cream, milk, vanilla, milk powder & salt into a large saucepan. Scoop the bananas from their skins & add to the cream along with any liquid that is in the foil.
- Heat the cream gently over a low heat until steaming, breaking up the bananas with a spatula. Once warm, removing from the heat & leave to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container, cover & leave in the fridge overnight.
Custard
- The next day, place the infused cream into a saucepan along with half of the sugar. Place over a medium heat & warm until steaming.
- In the meantime, in a large heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, cornflour & remaining sugar.
- Sieve the hot milk & cream mix into a jug then gradually whisk into the egg mix. Pour the custard back into the saucepan & cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until smooth & thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The custard needs to reach a temperature of 82°c/180°f as this is when the egg yolks will have been cooked out,.If the custard is getting too hot at any point, remove from the heat & keep stirring to stop it from curdling.If the custard does curdle, remove from the heat & blitz with a stick blender.
- Once the custard is cooked, sieve again & serve instantly.If not using straight away, transfer to a container, press a piece of baking parchment onto the custard’s surface, leave to cool to room temperature then store in the fridge.
