Chocolate-banana Mille Feuille

Chocolate mousse

½ cup milk

½ cup heavy cream

3 egg yolks

cup sugar

¾ cup finely grated dark chocolate

1½ cups heavy cream

Bananas

1 stick (½ cup) butter

¼ cup sugar

4 small bananas

Phyllo strips

3 sheets frozen phyllo pastry dough, thawed

¿ cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish

cup cocoa powder

Pinch of cinnamon

1¼ sticks butter, melted and cooled

For the mousse: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and ½ cup cream. Bring to a boil, stirring often.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. When the milk mixture boils, quickly add the yolk mixture, stirring well. Cook the mixture until it thickens and sticks to the back of the spoon. Add the chocolate and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool

When the chocolate mixture has nearly cooled, place the remaining heavy cream in a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture, then cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

For the bananas: In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the butter and sugar. While the butter melts, cut the bananas into ½-inch-thick slices. Place the banana slices in the skillet and cook until golden brown on the bottom. Gently flip the banana slices and brown on the other side. Transfer the banana slices to a wire rack and refrigerate until cool to the touch, about 1 hour.

For the phyllo pastry strips: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

On a cutting board, unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Use a pastry brush to cover it with a generous amount of butter. Sprinkle the dough with powdered sugar, then place a second sheet of phyllo over it. Cover the second sheet of phyllo with butter and sugar, then top it with a third sheet of dough.

Using a sharp knife, cut the stacked sheets into strips 3 inches long and 1½ inches wide. Transfer the strips to the prepared baking sheet, then set a second baking sheet on top of them. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool.

To assemble: Set one strip of phyllo pastry on each of 4 serving plates. Spoon the chocolate mousse into a pastry bag, then pipe a thick bead of mousse along the length of each plated phyllo strip. Place a second strip of phyllo pastry over the mousse, then top with several slices of banana. Cover with a final layer of pastry, then sprinkle the top with powdered sugar and decorate with a dot of mousse.

Chef Philipppe Gauvreau, La Rotonde, Lyon, France