A great and simple recipe, not much work is required for a dessert that can really wow your friends. We’re using bananas as they are always available but any fresh fruit can be used, why not spice it up with the addition of chocolate chips or dried fruit and nuts.
100g unsalted butter, cubed
300g castor sugar
8 large bananas peeled and sliced lengthways
1t ground cinnamon
2 oranges, zest of
1 packet puff pastry
Flour for dusting
Optional for serving: crème fraiche, vanilla ice-cream mixed with 4T desiccated coconut

  1. Preheat oven 180°C.
  2. Place the butter into a sturdy deep-sided baking tray (approximately 19 x 30cm), place the tray on a low heat, let the butter melt and then add the sugar and stir constantly until completely dissolved.
  3. Lay the bananas on top of the golden caramel and remove from the heat, sprinkle the cinnamon and half the zest on to your bananas.
  4. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, place your pastry on its side and roll out until you have a rectangle shape about the same size as your baking dish and about 0.5cm thick.
  5. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer to the baking tray and roll over the bananas gently tucking it in around the bananas to make sure they are well covered with no gaps. Prick the pastry a few times and then place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
  6. When ready remove from the oven and turn out onto a board or serving platter immediately as to stop the sugar from sticking.
  7. To serve cut into portions and garnish with lemon zest and dollops of crème friache (or ice-cream).

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs Johannesburg cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Cooking lessons run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Serves 4