Recipe: Caramelized Banana Napoleon at Flying Fish Cafe – Disney’s Boardwalk

Led by James Beard Award nominated Chef Tim Keating, The Flying Fish Cafe on Disney’s Boardwalk features “New American” cuisine with an emphasis on uber-fresh ingredients, seafood and steak specialties such as the potato-wrapped red snapper, crispy crab cakes and char-crusted strip steak.

One of our absolute most favorite desserts is the caramelized banana napoleon, a decadent dessert made with layers of crispy phyllo dough, banana mousse, and creme brulee custard.

Chef Keating and the Disney team has graciously shared with us the recipe for the very popular caramelized banana napoleon below:

Caramelized Banana Napoleon at Flying Fish Cafe – Disney’s Boardwalk

Serves 8

Phyllo Pastry
15 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Confectioners’ sugar

Crème Brûlée Custard
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup sugar
12 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved

Banana Mousse
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
1/4 cup banana liqueur
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

Assembly
Banana slices
Confectioners’ sugar
Chocolate shavings

For phyllo pastry:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Brush one sheet phyllo with melted butter, top with a second sheet, bush with butter, and repeat with a third sheet. Place a fourth sheet on top, brush with butter and lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar. Repeat process with fifth sheet. Cut into 8 equal rectangles.
3. Repeat process twice more with remaining phyllo sheets, creating a stack of 5 at a time.
4. Turn a sheet pan upside down and cover with parchment paper. Place the squares on the prepared sheet. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and top with another sheet pan to firmly press the squares while they bake.
5. Bake 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 180°F and bake another 10 minutes or until squares are lightly golden brown.

For crème brûlée custard:
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Whisk together cream, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl. Pour into an 8×8-inch square baking pan. Place the pan inside a larger roasting pan. Place both pans on the middle rack of the oven. Pour water into larger pans until it reaches halfway up sides of smaller pan.
3. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until sides of custard are set but center still jiggles slightly. Cool to room temperature. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto surface of custard and refrigerate overnight.
4. Cut into 8 rectangles.

For banana mousse:
1. Place white chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water, making sure bottom of bowl does not touch water. Melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Sprinkle gelatin over banana liqueur in a small bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. Microwave 10 seconds, stirring gelatin into liqueur.
3. Beat egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer until light yellow in color.
4. Add liqueur mixture to egg yolks, beating well to combine. Add white chocolate beating well to combine. Set aside until cooled to room temperature.
5. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, then gently fold into white chocolate mixture. Fold in banana purée.
6. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

To assemble:
1. Spoon banana mousse into a piping bag or a zip-top bag with one corner cut off. Pipe a small dot of mousse on each serving plate.
2. Top with a phyllo piece, then a piece of crème brûlée custard and another phyllo piece.
3. Top with a layer of banana mousse and sliced fresh bananas.
4. Top with a third phyllo piece and more banana mousse.
5. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar and chocolate shavings

This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens.
The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version.

All recipes are the property of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc.,
and may not be reproduced without express permission.