Brie and Brûlée Bananas Recipe

From Avery/Daryl: If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been sort of preoccupied with Brie lately. I posted a Brie winter salad on Mystery Lovers Kitchen in December. I posted a Brie asparagus quiche recipe in my latest newsletter.

This week, I’m offering an easy, simple dessert with Brie and bananas, a recipe I found on PhamFatale when I was searchign for somehting fun with Brie and fruit.  I tweaked it just a bit. This can be made gluten-free!!

Why Brie? Let’s not beat around the bush. I have a new book coming out in a few weeks, TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE, and I’m very excited. I love spending time with Charlotte and her family and friends. Why do I have the Shakespearean reference?

Murder, revenge, secrets. An open-air play, a wedding, and an estrangement ending in murder converge, forcing amateur sleuth Charlotte Bessette to ask the question: which suspect is deciding whether to kill or not to kill again?

istock photo

How Shakespearean can you get? And Grandmére is putting on Hamlet in the Village Green. An open-air play. Fun!

In February, I’ll be sharing recipes that I’ve included in the book—you all know that many of the MLK author’s culinary mysteries have recipes, right?

But for now, indulge me and let me share how fond I’ve become of Brie.

Brie and Brulee Bananas

Ingredients:

10 gingersnap cookies (may be gluten-free)

3-4 ripe bananas

3/4 cup granulated sugar, as needed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, freshly ground

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 ounces Brie cheese

Directions:

Remove the Brie cheese from the refrigerator thirty minutes before preparing these little gems, to bring the cheese to room temperature. Cut the cheese into ten pieces.

I found this Brie in a tube-shape. Very easy to cut.

Cinnamon sugar: In a pie plate, combine the sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.

Making bruleed bananas: Peel and slice the bananas. Cut them in rounds. Place the sliced bananas on the sugar mixture. Coat the bananas on both sides. Sprinkle with more sugar if necessary, then set the bananas on a metal tray...

...and caramelize with a culinary torch until the sugar melts and starts to bubble.

Found at Bed, Bath & Beyond

This will happen fast, so be careful. Caramelization occurs when the sugar changes color and a crust forms.

Assembly: Place the gingersnap cookies on a platter. Layer the cookie with one piece of bruleed banana. Add a piece of cheese and another banana.

Serve immediately.

Tip: If desired, a pinch of salt will bring out the flavor of the banana and enhance the sweetness.

Second tip: You could use another soft cheese, such as Camembert, and I bet it would taste good with ricotta, too (probably a lot messier).

Third tip: Here's my gluten-free gingersnap recipe if you don't want to buy a box of them. They're delish & easy. 

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The 4th in A Cheese Shop Mystery series: 

TO BRIE OR NOT TO BRIE
coming February 2013.

You can pre-order the book HERE. 

Click this link to watch the TRAILER

Click this link to read an EXCERPT.

Click this link to hear a PODCAST

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Also, you probably know by now about my alter ego,
DARYL WOOD GERBER...and her new series
A COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERY series
debuts July 2013

"Like" Daryl's page on Facebook and "follow" Daryl on Twitter.

"She" doesn't say all the same things "Avery" does. Promise.

Say cheese!

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