Banana Caramel Candies?

[losmochis]

Has anyone tried making a soft caramel with bananas? I'm struggling to find a recipe online, but neither am I finding tales of failed efforts. I've been working with a basic "Genin" recipe and want to start getting into different flavors. I'm planning on trying something like banana bourbon, bananas Foster, or banana bread (not sure about the last one), but don't want to waste the time if there's some reason this just won't work. Thanks!

[pastrygirl]

No, because I don't much like bananas.  Since bananas are not juicy, on the up side they won't add much liquid, on the down side, all that starch and fiber will probably affect texture.  I'd be inclined to caramelize ripe bananas in a little sugar to break them down, then puree with rum or lime juice to get smooth banana-ness.  Banana liqueur does exist, but is probably artificially flavored.

[losmochis]

Thanks! Yes, I plan to puree them in some manner before adding them to the caramel.

[Bentley]

I make a bananas foster bonbon, which uses a banana flavored caramel.  I found the key was to puree the banana to a very smooth consistency and then add the banana at the very end of the cooking process, once you've removed the pan from the heat.  It takes a lot more banana than you'd think because the fruit does not have an intense flavor naturally.  You can start with your basic caramel recipe then determine how much banana puree you want to use.  If you are going to do a puree with rum or other liquid, you can account for that by cooking to a slightly higher temperature to remove other water.  It will take experimentation to see what works with the amount of liquid you are adding.  

[losmochis]

Very helpful, thanks. Those are beautiful.

[LabKat]

Just a thought, maybe dried bananas, pulverize to a powder then added to the end of cooking. It would eliminate the liquid issue and have a more condensed banana flavor.

[Baylee Chocolate Lady]

We made the Banana Caramel Truffle recipe from the Andrew Garrison Shotts book, "Making Artisan Chocolates".  It took hours. We threw it away. We will never try it again. Sorry. 

[Jim D.]

Jean-PIerre Wybauw has a very good recipe for banana-flavored caramel (intended to be piped, not firm enough to cut).  The banana is puréed, and he also includes some passion fruit purée, which adds a wonderful tartness to the banana but does not overpower it.

[losmochis]

Appreciate all the advice. I tried last night. I simmered the bananas in bourbon while I was measuring the rest of my ingredients, then blended the cooked bananas to get them smooth. I made my normal recipe but added cinnamon, then, at the end added the bananas and a little more bourbon. I don't know whether it was the bananas/bourbon or something else, but they did not set after a night in the fridge. It was basically caramel sauce at room temperature. So, I threw it back in the pot with water and cooked it all the way up to 135C. They're in the fridge again now; I'll update the post again if they are actually cut-able now.

[Jim D.]

One thought:  As I discovered when I added pineapple to a caramel at the end, the addition (whether it's pineapple or bananas + bourbon) will bring down the temp quite substantially.  If you don't cook back up to the temp you were initially aiming for, the caramel won't turn out as you expected.  You may have done this, but didn't mention it in your description of what you did.

[ChocoMom]

I've not tried this particular brand, and it does have some mixed reviews...but thought I'd throw it out there for the sake of experimentation. HTH...

https://www.amazon.com/Bakto-Flavors-Natural-Banana-Flavor/dp/B004LHIFO6#customerReviews  

 

I seem to remember that one of the companies I ordered from also had fruit powders, not just puree.  

 

Might check http://www.forthegourmet.com/Banana-Fruit-Puree-Frozen-p8441.html

or 

https://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/baking-and-pastry/fruit-purees-0734

[losmochis]

Thanks, ChocoMom. For this batch I was more interested in fresh bananas, but those seem like possible alternatives.

 

Jim - I think you nailed where I went wrong. I'd seen some recipes (for fruits other than banana) that seemed to not call for bringing the temp. back up after the fruit was added, but I think it's a must. After a night in the freezer, I've brought them back up to room temp. (~73F). I was able to cut the slab, and they maintain their shape on the counter, but as soon as I pick one up, gravity goes to work.

[losmochis]

Just to update everyone, last weekend I tried a batch using Trader Joe's freeze dried bananas, which I ground to a powder. I used about 30g in a 1000g recipe, and mixed it in right at the last minute. Turned out deliciously.

[pastryani]

15 hours ago, losmochis said:

Just to update everyone, last weekend I tried a batch using Trader Joe's freeze dried bananas, which I ground to a powder. I used about 30g in a 1000g recipe, and mixed it in right at the last minute. Turned out deliciously.

 

@losmochis - did you make a caramel and add the banana powder to that (or was it a ganache)?  Also ,did you find that the freeze-dried powder dissolved completely or was there a noticeable grainy texture?

[losmochis]

Made the caramel and when it reached 122C added the banana powder + cinnamon. No graininess at all, but there were pockets of powder that I had to make sure to incorporate before pouring.

[pastryani]

Wow, so 30g in a 1kg batch of caramel was enough to give it a banana-y flavor?!  And was it a regular caramel with no added banana puree?

[losmochis]

No puree. 30g gave it a distinct but not overpowering banana flavor. I might go up to 45g next time, but 60g might be pushing it.