Even if you’re not a peanut butter lover I can assure you this dessert will change your mind. The delicious light mousse with the crunch of the hazelnuts and sweetness from the glazed banana makes for one of my ultimate all-time favourite desserts and it just happens to be my biggest seller. 

Ingredients | Serves 6-8

For the peanut butter mouse

• 334g whole eggs
• 180g sifted icing sugar
• 480g double cream
• 5 gelatine leaves
• 440g smooth peanut butter
• 5 egg whites

To garnish

• 4 bananas
• 100g blanched hazelnuts, toasted>
• Icing sugar for dusting
• Specialist equipment
• Blow torch (or brown under a grill)

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The peanut butter mousse needs a minimum of 3 hours to set in the fridge so I always make this the day before so that when it comes to plating the dessert,  all we have to do is glaze the bananas. There is quite a lot of pan juggling with this dessert to get all the elements together at the end so it’s essential to be prepared and organised. I have broken the dessert down into three stages. First we need to soften the gelatine; do this by placing the gelatine leaves in a container and cover with cold water, for approximately 5 minutes. 

Stage 1

In a large bowl add the sifted icing sugar and the cracked, weighed whole eggs, place a heavy based saucepan on the stove, fill half way with water and leave it on the stove on the lowest setting so it barely simmers. Place the bowl onto the pan, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl and whisk the eggs and sugar together; this will cook the eggs. It is important to make sure the temperature is not too high and also that you whisk constantly so that the eggs do not scramble. If the water was to boil the bowl would get too hot, leaving us with scrambled egg, so it’s very important to have the stove on its lowest setting. Whisk for 15 minutes, the egg and sugar mixture will double in size and become much paler and very smooth, in turn cooking the eggs very gently, this is called a sabayon. Once the eggs are cooked, remove the bowl from the pan and leave to one side. 

Stage 2

In a separate pan gently heat the double cream. As soon as it starts to simmer, remove from the heat, take the soft gelatine leaves out of the water and whisk into the double cream until they have dissolved, then pour the warm cream over the peanut butter and mix with a wooden spoon until you are left with a smooth, fully incorporated peanut butter paste. 

Stage 3

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Now we have completed our three stages, we need to incorporate everything together. Pour the peanut butter (stage 2) into the sabayon (stage 1) and whisk until fully incorporated and smooth. Once mixed, take the whipped egg whites (stage 3) and gently fold into the peanut butter mix as gently as possible as to not knock out any air bubbles. We want it as light as possible. Once mixed, pour into a container and set in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours. 

To serve

Gently toast the hazelnuts under the grill. Peel the bananas, chop in half lengthways, dust with icing sugar on a metal tray and glaze with a blow torch. If you don’t have a blow torch, place under a grill until golden. Place two pieces of banana on each plate, spoon on the peanut butter mousse and scatter over the toasted hazelnuts. This dessert is by far one of my biggest sellers; everyone that tries it falls in love instantly. I like to serve mine with a toffee sauce.

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