Banana Banana

This is a wild experiment I decided to take on after dining at Meze by Lemon Tree in Istanbul couple of years ago — highly recommend it, by the way, if you’re ever in the city.

When I returned to Washington, I made this dessert for my friends. They said nice things, so I made it again for more friends. They liked it, too. Let me know what you think.

Directions

Peel about three ripe bananas (you don’t want overly ripe ones) and slice them into about half-centimeter pieces (don’t slice them thicker than a centimeter).

In a bowl, mix honey and chili flakes. Heck, add a tiny pinch of chili powder if you’re feeling pretty good today.

In a serving plate, start stacking sliced banana pieces to form a circle, roughly to form about a 4-5 inch circle.You can use cooking rings if you think it helps balance the bananas as you start stacking them in layers. Spread kaymak (or clotted cream) over the first layer before stacking another layer of bananas — continue doing this until you finish stacking your bananas to look like a cake. Use a spatula to evenly spread clotted cream on the edges of the bananas.

Use halved almonds, pistachios and pieces of walnuts and place them on top, gently pushing them into tiny spaces between the banana pieces. Put a couple of dried chili peppers on top of it as well. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes.

Take the plate out of the refrigerator and pour the mixture of honey and chili flakes evenly on top of the nuts. It’s okay to let it run all over — the honey will have a kick to it because of the chili flakes. Grab a fork and start eating!