Rouge Tomate's Chocolate Banana Napoleon

By Pastry Chef James DiStefano
(Makes 1)

Ingredients for the Banana Bread:      

• 3 1/2 sticks butter 
• 15 oz sugar
• ¼ cup + 1 tsp. non-fat yogurt (fage, pink label)    
• 4 eggs    
• 17 ½ oz. all purpose flour          
• 1 ½ tsp. baking soda                   
• 1 tsp. baking powder         
• 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt         
• 20 oz. (about 3-4 bananas) ripe banana (cut in to chunks)       
• ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds         

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit
2. Lightly spray cake pan with pam, then lightly dust bottom and all sides with granulated sugar.  Set aside.
3. Combine butter and sugar and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Turn mixer on to medium speed.
4. Continue to mix until butter and sugar are light and fluffy.  This will take roughly 5-7 minutes.
5. Turn off machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add non fat yogurt and turn machine back on to low speed.  Mix until evenly combined.
6. While the machine is still running, slowly add eggs one at a time.  Once they have all been incorporated mix for 30 seconds.  Turn machine off and scrape down sides with the rubber spatula.
7. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix on low speed until 80% combined.  At this point add the banana and sunflower seeds.  Finish mixing until everything is combined.
8. Place in to the cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  After this, lower the oven to 325 degrees and finish baking.  This will take about another 10-15 minutes.  The cake should spring back and a tooth pick should come out clean when it has been inserted.  Place on a cooling rack (while still in the pan) for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes, remove cake from pan and finish cooling.  This cake can be made up to one day in advance. 

Ingredients for the Roasted Banana Curd:         

• 4 eggs 
• 2-3 roasted bananas        
• 4 egg yolks     
• 1 cup + 1 Tbsp. sugar         
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt         
• ½ tsp. (dissolved in cold water) gelatin sheets         
• 1 stick + 1 ½ tsp. butter (chopped in to small pieces and kept very cold).

Preparation:

1. Take two to three very ripe bananas (no green in the skin), prick them 5-7 times each (all around )with a paring knife and place them a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Place them in a 350 degree pre-heated oven and roast them until the skin on the bananas turn brown and they start to ooze some of their natural juices.  Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. In one bowl, combine the eggs and egg yolks.  Whisk together and set aside.  Keep cold until you are ready to use.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt and gelatin sheets.  Set aside.
4. Once bananas have cooled, peel them and place them in a robot-coup with the eggs and yolks.  Puree until smooth.  Repeat this process until everything is used up.  Once everything has been pureed, add this mixture to the bowl containing the sugar, salt and gelatin.
5. Place this bowl over a double-boiler (pot filled with boiling water) and until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.  This step requires constant whisking and attention to prevent the eggs from curdling.  This step also takes about 10 minutes.  If you are concerned about making sure the eggs are fully cooked, cook mixture to a minimum of 140 degrees.
6. Once the mix has been fully cooked, whisk in the butter and whisk for another two minutes to make sure it’s properly mixed in.  Place curd in a pan and directly cover with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.  Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Ingredients for the Dark Chocolate Ganache….

• 15 oz. 70 %  dark chocolate         
• 2 ¾ cup whole milk         .
• 3 Tbsp. corn syrup    
• 3 Tbsp. butter (chopped in to small pieces and kept cold)  
• pinch kosher salt    

Preparation:

1. Place chocolate in a bowl that will be large enough to also hold the other four ingredients.  Melt chocolate.
2. Place milk, corn syrup and salt in a pot and bring to a boil over a medium flame.  Once milk has come to a boil, pour a little bit over and the chocolate and begin to mix.  Continue adding a little bit at a time until all of the hot milk base has been incorporated into the chocolate.  Finish by adding in the butter a little bit at a time.
3. This Ganache can be kept at room temperature (or refrigerated) until you are ready to use it. 

To Assemble Cake:
1. Cut banana cake into three even layers.  Wrap lightly with plastic wrap to prevent from drying out and keep cold.  The colder the cake is, the easier it is to work with.
2. Make sure the chocolate Ganache is warm.  This will facilitate spreading it on to the cake.
3. Remove curd from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
4. Place the bottom disc of cake on the bottom of your cake pan.
5. Next, take roughly 1/4 to ½ cup of banana curd and spread it evenly over the layer of cake.
6. After the banana curd, take an equal amount of melted Ganache and pour that over the layer of curd.  Let the Ganache set by placing it in the refrigerator.
7. Once the Ganache is set place the second layer of cake on top of the Ganache.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until you end up with three layers of cake and two each of curd and Ganache.  This cake is best chilled over night and served the following day at room temperature. 

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