Lara Ferroni Photography

A study in contrasts. Heavenly light, crisp phyllo is brought back to earth with viscous honey. The creamy tropical banana welcomes the golden crunch of roasted pecans. Each bite is a snap, crackle, pop followed by a delicate chewiness.

Enough with the words. My hands are too sticky to type.

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Pecan Strudel
Serves one if you are lucky enough to be home alone

Sorry, no real measurements on anything here… it will depend upon the size of your pan, and what your sweet tolerance is.

Phyllo Dough
1 to 2 Bananas (preferably red bananas)
1 t lemon juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 T cane sugar
2 t cinnamon
2 t ground ginger
Honey
1/4 cup pecans

If you are using frozen Phyllo dough, remove from freezer. It should sit at room temperature for at least an hour.

Lightly toast the pecans in a 450F oven until they are just hot, about 5 minutes. Finely chop, and set aside. Reduce the heat on the oven to 425.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.

Slice the banana longways into 1/4 inch thick strips. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and set aside.

Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom of your baking dish with a bit of the melted butter. Place one sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the dish, and brush with butter. Repeat with about 3 more piece of phyllo, lightly brushing after each piece.

Add a layer of the bananas. Top with 3 layers of phyllo, brushing with butter after each piece.
Add a layer of honey, squeezing or dribbling as you might to top a waffle. Top with 3 layers of phyllo, brushing butter, etc.
Add a layer of pecans. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Top with 3 layers of phyllo, brushing with butter.
Add another layer of honey. Top with 3 layers of phyllo, brushing with butter.

Sprinkle the top with some of the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture and a chopped pecans.

Trim any phyllo edges that protrude from the baking dish. Cut a few air vents in the top few layers.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for a least 10 minutes before devouring. If desired, top with a bit more honey.

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