CRISPY OATMEAL GRIDDLE CAKE WITH PINEAPPLE-BANANA FOSTER

CRISPY OATMEAL GRIDDLE CAKE WITH PINEAPPLE-BANANA FOSTER image

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

Oatmeal Cake:
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 cups rolled oats
Whole wheat flour for dustiing
2 tablespoons canola oil
Pomegranate seeds for garnish (optional)
Pineapple-Banana Foster:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup dark rum
1 1/2 cups banana (split the banana lengthwise, then cut into half moons, 1/4-inch thick)
1 cup pineapple, medium-small dice (cut into roughly 1/2 inch cubes)
Line a shallow rectangular baking dish with plastic wrap. Warm water in medium-size pot over medium heat. Whisk in salt, brown sugar & cinnamon. Bring to boil, stir in rolled oats. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously so that oats do not burn.
Pour the cooked oats into the lined baking dish. Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread the hot oats in an even layer. Refrigerate to cool.
When cool, wrap dish with plastic wrap so that oats do not dry out. Uncooked cakes can be made ahead.
Unmold from the dish and cut into 3x3" squares. For ease of cutting, make sure the oat cakes are well chilled, and wet knife with water. Store on a baker's sheet.
To brown the griddle cakes: Slowly preheat a large sauté pan over a low flame. Lightly dust cakes with whole wheat flour. Pat off excess flour and reserve until pan has become warm.
Add 2 tbsp canola oil to pan and increase heat to med-high. When oil hot, place 1-2 pieces in the pan. The browning process should take about 30s/side, or until a nice caramel color is achieved on all sides. The cakes will also give off a nice nutty aroma from the toasting of the whole wheat flour and the oats. Once the cakes are brown, remove from pan and place on a dish lined with paper towels to help absorb any excess oil. Keep the griddle cakes warm in a very low oven until you are ready to serve them.

Steps:

7. Make the pineapple-banana foster. Melt the butter in a medium-size pot over a low flame. Once the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and sea salt. Continue cooking until the mixture looks like a very thick caramel. Slowly add the milk, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the burner, and carefully add the dark rum. Allow the rum to "sit" on top of the hot caramel base. 8. Return the pot to the flame and carefully tilt the front of the pot (opposite the handle) towards the flame in order to ignite the rum (or use a match). Allow the alcohol to burn off the rum. Once the flames have died down, stir the contents together to evenly combine. 9. Add the pineapple to the pot and simmer for 2 minutes over low heat to soften the pineapple slightly. Add the bananas and continue to simmer 1 minute longer. Adding the fruit towards the end of cooking allows it to retain its freshness, texture and shape. 10. Assemble the plate. Both the crispy oatmeal griddle cake and the pineapple-banana foster should be generously warm. Using a slotted spoon, scoop some of the pineapple and banana from the warm sauce and allow to drain somewhat. Place a small mound of warm fruit in the center of the plate. Drizzle one tablespoon of warm sauce over the fruit. Strew 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds around the warm fruit. Place the warm griddle cake on top of the fruit and serve.