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–+ servings

Banana Stuffed French Toast a la Vegemite Auricularia Ice Cream

Spike Mikulski
Who wouldn't want to try ice cream subtly flavoured with Auricularia mushrooms and Vegemite? Delicious paired with banana stuffed french toast fortified with molasses. This is one of the recipes that sets the stage for the 2025 Chopped Challenge.
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Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 1603 kcal

Ingredients
  

Vegemite Ice Cream

  • 4 tsp Vegemite
  • 10 oz milk whole or 2%
  • 10 oz cream light or heavy
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 4 oz white granulated sugar
  • ½ oz mushroom dried Auricularia
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 c apple cider
  • 1 c pistachios shelled
  • 2 c water

Molasses Bread

  • ½ c water
  • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp dry active yeast
  • 4 c all purpose flour plus extra for kneading
  • ¾ c milk
  • ½ c dark molasses
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 oz butter
  • 1 egg

French Toast Batter

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 c milk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 oz butter
  • 6 bananas
  • 3 oz light brown sugar
  • 2 c pistachio shelled

Instructions
 

Molasses Bread

  • Start with the Molasses Bread. In a small bowl bloom the yeast in warm water with sugar, stir and let sit for 15 minutes, set aside.
  • Warm up the milk and butter in a small sauce pot until butter has melted, set aside.
  • In a mechanical mixing bowl, add 1 ½ cups of the flour and the salt, stir together, then set up with a paddle, add the molasses, milk and butter, egg, and bloomed yeast. Mix with paddle until combined.
  • Gradually add the remaining 2 ½ cups of flour while paddling until a tacky dough is formed.
  • Remove dough from bowl onto a dusted table and knead the dough by hand for at least 5 minutes.
  • In a greased bowl add the kneaded dough, cover the dough with a clean damp towel, tuck it in, let set to rise for at least 2 hours, preferably in a warm area.
  • After the dough has risen, punch and beat the gas out, let set for 15 minutes.
  • Grease two bread pans and split the dough in half, one for each pan, mold into an extended shape roughly the length and width of the bread pans; cover with a clean dry towel, and proof the dough in a warm area (or oven) for 2 ½ hours or until the bread dough has risen at least 1 inch above the rim of the bread pans.
  • Bake in a conventional oven set to 350 ℉ for 45 minutes until crisp, remove from oven and let cool slightly before removing from bread pans by tapping the pans to pop out the loaves. If the bread is stuck, carefully use a spatula to scrape the inside of the pans enough to remove the loafs. Transfer loaves to a cooling rack to cool completely before slicing.

Vegemite Auricularia Ice Cream

  • In a medium stock pot, add the dried Auricularia, water, apple cider, and liquid smoke. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let set for 20 minutes to reconstitute.
  • Strain the stock from the mushrooms into another stock pot. Chop the strained mushrooms and add back into the cider liquid. Bring pot to a medium heat and reduce the liquid until almost gone. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Chop up the pistachios well in a food processor. Using a cookie sheet and a strainer with medium sized holes, sift the larger chunks of pistachio from the fine grains and separate into two containers. Set aside.
  • In a medium stock pot, add the milk, cream and half the sugar. Heat to warm until the sugar is dissolved.
  • Cream the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar. Gradually add the warmed cream to the egg yolks to temper into custard.
  • Put the Vegemite in a small mixing bowl and gradually add the warm custard until the Vegemite is dissolved. Add the entire Vegemite custard back into a stockpot and simmer on low for 20 minutes until thickened to coat a spoon. Remove from heat and chill completely.
  • Add the cold custard into an ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes. Add the large pistachio chunks and chopped Auricularia. Continue churning for another 10 minutes or until the custard has stiffened into a soft ice cream texture.
  • Place bowl of ice cream into freezer and let set for at least 2 hours or until hard.

French Toast Batter and Banana Stuffing

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  • Peel and slice the bananas into medallions.
  • Heat the butter and brown sugar on a medium heat in a small sauce pan until melted and well combined.
  • Add the sliced banana, stir well to combine, remove from heat. Set aside.

To Plate:

  • Slice each loaf into 6 thick slices.
  • Dust a cookie tray with the fine ground pistachio.
  • Heat a teaspoon of butter on a griddle or seasoned pan.
  • Dip both sides of the sliced bread into the french toast batter.
  • Roll the edges of the bread in the fine ground pistachio.
  • Brown each side of the bread in the hot butter.
  • Place one slice of french toast on a plate, spoon some of the warm banana filling on top, place another slice of french toast on top, place one scoop of Vegemite Ice Cream on top of the plated toast
  • Garnish with coarse chopped pistachio and mint.

Notes

Youtube Video

Nutrition

Calories: 1603kcalCarbohydrates: 179gProtein: 39gFat: 86gSaturated Fat: 37gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 432mgSodium: 720mgPotassium: 2154mgFiber: 13gSugar: 89gVitamin A: 2517IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 438mgIron: 10mg
Keyword Auricularia, ice cream, Vegemite
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