Banana + Cream Cups

Being as obsessed as I am with baking and cute things I find myself surfing blogs for ideas and good recipes. Lately I have found some great ones, some of my favorites include: Eat Drink Chic, A field Journal, Design Sponge, Once Wed, and Tartelette which is where the idea for this next recipe came from. The creator of Tartelette is also a food photographer which I love because her photos are amazing and make everything look so yummy! Her version of this recipe called for creme fraiche or sour cream and I didn't have either handy so I decided to do it with homemade whipped cream which is more my style anyway or you can use vanilla ice cream as well.

•••This recipe really only makes enough for two people so if you need more then I would double... triple accordingly.

For the whipped cream:

• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of good Vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix on high until light and fluffy. Put aside in the fridge while you prepare the rest to keep nice and cold.

For the crumble topping:

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• 3 tablespoons of cold butter
• 2 tablespoons of chopped crystallized ginger (you can find this at any grocery store in the spices section of the baking isle)

Preheat the oven to 350F, in a small bowl combine the sugar and flour, add the butter cut in small pieces and ginger, mix with your hands or with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. spread the mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 min until golden brown. let cool to room temp.

For the good part! Bananas!

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 bananas, cut into thick slices - peel first ;-)

In a skillet set over medium high heat, cook the sugar with water until it caramelizes to a golden caramel. I noticed this never really happened for me until I added the butter so don't worry if it isn't perfect. The first time I tried something went wrong and it basically turned into sand. Turn the heat down and add the butter. Let it melt before adding the bananas. let them cook in the caramel for a couple of minutes until soft and caramelized. I have to say this does get pretty hot so be careful when you ad the bananas not to burn yourself. Remove form the heat and wait a few minutes before dividing the mixture in your glasses.

To assemble:

Put a thick layer of whipped cream on the bottom of your glass, then a good thick layer of the banana mixture, lastly sprinkle the ginger mixture on the top as much or as little as you like.

Once you master this recipe it will be great for those nights where you want something special and have some time to make it great... beats a bowl of ice cream any day.