Queen Camilla’s son has shared the peculiar story behind one Royal Family dessert. Tom Parker Bowles, 50, recounted an incident involving the late Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother which led to a bout of ‘certain amount of panic’ at Clarence House.
Their beloved chef Alma McKee found herself in quite the situation after serving a meat course for lunch but completely forgetting about dessert. Rushing around for ingredients, she didn’t know what to do next, until she stumbled upon a few bananas.
In his book, ‘Cooking & The Crown’, Tom penned: “The meat course had gone up, when she suddenly realised there was no pudding. I can remember there was a certain amount of panic about what to do next. Save, that is, for a few bananas.”
Nicknamed ‘Bananes au Caramel’, this simple yet delicious creation by Alma requires just bananas, caster sugar, butter, golden syrup, and a helping of double cream. For those eager to taste Royal indulgence, Tom outlines the process.
Begin by slicing the bananas and dusting them with two tablespoons of caster sugar. These pieces should then be sizzled gently in butter on medium heat until a caramel hue is achieved.
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After this, it’s crucial to let the bananas rest for a minute before mixing them with around 100ml of double cream. For optimal results, put these into sundae classes and leave in the fridge to cool further. Meanwhile, you might want to make some caramel to sprinkle on top.
“Break the hardened syrup into small shards, sprinkle over the banana and serve immediately,” he wrote. Despite being a sweet treat, bananas are often praised by health experts for their numerous benefits.
This is largely due to their high potassium content – a nutrient associated with potentially lowered blood pressure. Currently, approximately 4.2 million adults in England have undiagnosed high blood pressure.
Left unmanaged, it can lead to serious health complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia. “Bananas are a great source of potassium, with a medium banana providing 10% of the DV,” experts at Healthline claim.
“A 2017 study in mice also suggests that potassium may lower the risk of heart disease by 27%. Additionally, bananas contain 8% of the DV for magnesium, another important mineral for heart health.”
Tom’s book ‘Cooking & The Crown’ features over 100 recipes from Queen Victoria’s reign to King Charles III. While it includes some extravagant dishes like ‘Pommes Elizabeth’ and ‘Pudding au Pain et aux Cerises’, there are plenty of simpler recipes to try at home.
More information can be found here.
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