Banana Consommé

I have this weird obsession with fruit consommés. I usually use the agar filtration technique to clarify fruit consommés but this technique can span three days and sometimes fruit does funky things when frozen and thawed. I had vacuum sealed a couple of bananas with vanilla bean and sprigs of lemon thyme to infuse the banana puree for a cake but when I noticed a clear liquid draining from the pulp, of course my first thought was: consommé!

Unlike the many recipes that call for roasting the bananas and binding with gelatin, this technique produces a clear banana liquid that tastes like a fresh banana. The bananas should be peeled and sealed just when the peel has just started developing spots and the stem is beginning to brown. (When too much of the starch is converted to sugar, the ripe-almost-rotten taste that makes a black banana perfect for banana bread will make the consommé taste fermented.) Pack the bananas in a large bag with fresh herbs or spices and vacuum on the highest setting. Set aside for a few hours. Pound the compressed bananas (while still in the bag).  Remove the banana pulp from the bag and drain it in a chinois lined with a moistened coffee filter overnight.

The yield is not impressive (unless you have access to centrifuge) but the remaining pulp will still have enough flavor to use for baking. Ascorbic acid will prevent the liquid from turning brown but adding enough acid to prevent oxidation alters the flavor. Sour apple is fun; sour banana, not so much.