Chocolate and Caramelized Banana Layered Pudding

Preparation

• Chocolate Pudding

  • In a saucepan off the heat, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa powder. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, scraping the bottom and sides of the saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
  • Add the chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Pour into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the cream. Let cool and refrigerate for 4 hours or until the chocolate pudding has completely chilled.

• Caramelized Banana Compote

  • In non-stick skillet, bring the maple syrup, butter and vanilla pod and seeds to a boil. Add the crushed bananas. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the bananas fall apart and form a sauce with some chunks. Remove the vanilla pod. Keep at room temperature.

• Whipped Cream

  • In a bowl, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

• Assembly

  • Before assembling, stir the chocolate pudding to soften it. In a 11 x 8-inch (28 x 20 cm) serving dish, spread half of the pudding. Cover with a third of the cookies, overlapping them slightly. Break the cookies, if needed. Top with the remaining pudding. Cover with another third of the cookies. Layer with the banana compote (if needed, whisk to soften before spreading) and half of the whipped cream. Cover with the remaining cookies and top with the remaining whipped cream.
  • Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. The layered pudding will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.