Recipe: Bananas Foster French Toast a la Gurney’s Montauk

This week’s recipe for Bananas Foster French Toast comes to us courtesy of Gurney’s Montauk chef Doug Forgione. You may recognize that last name as his uncle, Larry, has been dubbed the godfather of American cooking. Pressure much? Seems like Doug is doing just fine out of his uncle’s shadow. Try your hand at this fun recipe and decide for yourself!

Batter Ingredients:

6 Large eggs
1 ½ Cups whole milk
2 Tbsp dark rum
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
8 Slices of soft brioche bread, approximately 1 ½” thick

Directions: Combine all the ingredients except for the bread together using a whisk. Pour the batter into a 9×13” casserole dish. Place the bread in the batter and set aside.

Banana Fosters Syrup Ingredients:

4 Ripe bananas cut in half lengthwise
1 Cup dark brown sugar
½ Cup dark rum
3 Cups maple syrup
1 Cinnamon stick
4 Tbsp butter, unsalted

Directions: Brown 2 tbsp of butter in a medium sauté pan with the cinnamon stick and the halved bananas; the cinnamon stick will toast lightly in the pan while the butter browns and the bananas caramelize. Remove the bananas from the pan after caramelizing and set aside. Add the dark rum, dark brown sugar and maple syrup, combine with a whisk on low/medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving, add the remaining 2 tbsp of butter and whisk if the sauce appears broken. Return the bananas to the sauce to keep warm.

Banana Brittle Ingredients:
8 Bananas, peeled
2 Cups agave syrup
3 Cups sweet shredded coconut flakes
3 Cups chopped almonds, toasted
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Powdered cinnamon
Flaky sea salt

Directions: Puree the bananas and agave with the vanilla extract until smooth, fold the chopped almonds and coconut flakes together with the banana puree. Evenly spread the mixture onto a non-stick baking mat and season the top with powdered cinnamon and flaky sea salt. Dehydrate the banana brittle overnight at 110 degrees. When the brittle is dry, break it into bite-size pieces.

Assemble: Pre-heat a large sauté pan on medium heat and grease the pan with one tbsp of butter. Once the butter is melted, add two thick slices of the saturated brioche, toast the brioche until golden brown, flip and repeat for the second side, continue this process until all 8 slices are beautifully caramelized. Place 2 pieces of French toast on a plate, top with the banana fosters sauce, caramelized bananas and banana crumble and any other toppings you like.

This recipe comes to us courtesy of chef Doug Forgione and Gurney’s Montauk, gurneysresorts.com/montauk