Banana Cream Puffs with Salted Caramel

Step 1: In a small pot, combine the banana slices and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then remove from the heat. Let cool for 30 minutes, or until before transferring to the refrigerator to steep at least four hours or overnight. To the steeped milk, add the vanilla and heat until simmering over medium heat. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the banana slices. Do not let any banana get into the strained mixture. Discard the banana or save it to use in any recipe that calls for mashed ripe banana. Combine the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk by hand or with beaters until light yellow and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch and whisk until thoroughly combined and lightened even further. Slowly stream in warmed banana milk with a ladle while whisking vigorously to prevent cooking the eggs. Continue slowly adding in the milk mixture until it is all combined. Return the entire mixture to the medium saucepan and place over low heat. Whisk constantly until the pastry cream has thickened. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic and press down to touch the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill at least 1 hour or place over a bowl of ice to chill it faster. While waiting on this to chill, feel free to move on to next steps and come back to finish this when you are ready to fill the choux. When the pastry cream is completely chilled, whip the ¾ cup heavy whipping cream and freeze-dried banana powder in the bowl of a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the completely chilled banana pastry cream.

Step 2: Prepare a sheet pan and two large rectangles of parchment paper. Combine the brown sugar and softened butter either by hand or with beaters until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, freeze-dried banana powder and kosher salt. Mix until a dough forms. Add food coloring, if desired, and mix to combine. Knead the dough with gloved hands a bit and form it into a rectangle. Place it on top of one of the sheets of parchment paper. Cover with the second parchment paper sheet. Roll the dough between the parchment with a rolling pin until ⅛-inch thick. Place the dough between the sheets of parchment on the baking sheet and transfer to the freezer to freeze solid, about 5-10 minutes. Working quickly, remove the top piece of parchment and place it back on the sheet pan. Punch out circles of the frozen dough with a 2-inch round cutter. Transfer these circles back to the sheet pan lined with parchment. Freeze until ready to use.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. On the backsides of the parchment paper sheets use a 2-inch cutter and pencil to mark 9 circles (in 3 rows of 3). Make the choux pastry according to Serious Eats’ instructions. Transfer to a piping bag, optionally fitted with a piping tip. Hold the piping bag straight up and down, apply medium pressure and pipe dollops of choux batter in the middle of the 2-inch circles until just about reaching the border of the circles on one of the prepared pans. Reserve the rest of the batter for the next pan after baking the first. Place one circle of frozen craquelin on top of each unbaked choux dollop before baking. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the bottom edges of the choux are golden brown. Turn off the oven. Working quickly, remove the tray from the oven briefly to poke holes in the bottom of the still hot choux with a paring knife to allow the steam inside to escape. Return the choux to the tray and return the tray to the oven. Use a wooden spoon to crack the door of the oven with the choux inside. Let the choux sit in there for 30 minutes before removing and allowing the choux to cool on a wire rack completely.

Step 4: Snip a small bit off of the end of the piping bags full of banana crème légère and the salted caramel. You want a small enough opening so that you can insert the bag into the hole you created in the bottom of each choux. Fill each choux au craquelin first with crème légère and then with a bit of the caramel. Some may spill out of the bottom hole, just swipe this away with a clean finger or paring knife. Garnish with reserved whipped cream, if desired, and banana slices. Serve immediately.