Banana Mousse with Butterscotch

Cookbooks make the best gifts, especially if you love to cook new recipes and learn more about cooking. My daughters have always gifted me cookbooks and they typically know my style and favorite chefs.

They know, for example, that I am enamored with Gordon Ramsay. He’s an expert chef, has had many restaurants, holds many Michelin stars, and he’s hysterically funny to me. And yes, he likes to yell and swear.

One Christmas my daughters gave me Gordon Ramsay’s Fast Food. I know I read the book, because I’d never ignore a cookbook, but I haven’t picked it up since. It was published in 2008.

The part that didn’t “thrill” me was the fast food aspect. Why would I need to make fast food?! (Note that this didn’t affect my joy in receiving that cookbook as a gift.)

I know that a lot of busy young parents who care about putting meals on the table require the “quick and easy” style of cooking. But even when I was at my busiest with children and work and life, how fast I could put a meal on the table was not my highest priority. Putting good and nourishing food on the table was.

So, not to sound like I think I’m so cool for having done that. On the contrary, I worked hard! It wasn’t always easy. But every school morning I’d get up extra early and make something like whole-grain pancakes with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. My daughters never purchased lunches at school because I made those fresh every morning. And dinners? Even if I was dodging swim lessons or gymnastics classes, a heathy meal was always served, no matter how long it took to prepare.

So, when I re-read Ramsay’s cookbook, most of the recipes weren’t surprising to those of us who cook a lot. Pastas with olive oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs, or parsley, or tomatoes, or tuna. A lamb chop, a fish filet. Sandwiches. All to be expected in the fast food category.

I do give Chef Ramsay kudos, however, in that he writes, “Don’t skip meals or resort to junk food, however busy you are.” Amen.

So what did I pick to make from this book? A dessert!

Banana Mousse with Butterscotch Ripple
Serves 4

1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups whipping cream, chilled
4 large ripe bananas, chilled in the freezer for 1-2 hours
Squeeze of lemon Juice
Semisweet chocolate, for grating

Put the sugar, butter, and 2/3 cup of the cream in a pan over medium heat and stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved and the butter melted. Let bubble for a minute or two, stirring frequently, then remove from the heat and let the sauce cool completely.

Pour the remaining cream into a blender. Peel and chop the bananas and add to the blender along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Whiz until smooth, thick, and creamy.

Spoon a little sauce around the sides of four glasses, smudging some of it for an attractive effect. Divide the banana mousse among the glasses and top with more butterscotch.

Use a small teaspoon to ripple the butterscotch through the mousse. I’m not very good at this sort of thing.

Grate over a little semisweet chocolate and chill until ready to serve.

My husband loves bananas and he loved this dessert. Me? Not so much.

As much as I love butterscotch, the banana and butterscotch wasn’t a great pairing to me. I would have preferred a dark chocolate sauce.

But I wouldn’t tell Chef Ramsay that…

By Published On: September 13th, 202147 Comments on Banana Mousse with Butterscotch

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

47 Comments

  1. neil@neilshealthymeals.com September 13, 2021 at 7:22 AM - Reply

    The smell of butterscotch always filled the air round at my Grans when as kids my brother and I went to visit her in the late 1970’s. This was because she lived next to a sweet factory that made butterscotch sweets! So the smell and taste of butterscotch always bring back wonderful memories of that time. I love this dessert Mimi, thanks for making it from Gordon’s book. It’s on the to-do list!

    • chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 8:00 AM - Reply

      Oh my! I get that was a wonderful smell! Definitely a quick and easy dessert. I just can’t decorate glasses!

  2. Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen September 13, 2021 at 7:55 AM - Reply

    This looks like it would be a crowd pleaser!
    I learned from my mom and am grateful for it. She worked full time, had a small house crammed with a husband, four kids, and a mother-in-law who didn’t help out at all. She still got a healthy from scratch meal on the table every night for us. She enjoyed the process of feeding us all, and I learned just about everything I know in the kitchen from her, including how to make both easy and complicated meals.
    Many people do not realize that in the time it takes to order and go pick up a take-out meal, they could make something simple at home that is far more nutritious and not full of junk.

    • chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 7:58 AM - Reply

      Ain’t that the truth?!! And fast food out isn’t cheap! Thanks for your comment. You learned a lot from your mom!

  3. chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 8:25 AM - Reply

    Well I’m not very good at rippling, but thanks! It was good.

  4. chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 11:07 AM - Reply

    I know. Banana is such a children’s fruit. But it was very good!

  5. Ronit Penso Tasty Eats September 13, 2021 at 11:44 AM - Reply

    Complicated lengthy cooking is not for everyone, so I’m all for “fast food”, that is made from scratch and fresh ingredients.
    This dessert sounds too sweet. Dark chocolate sauce could indeed be a better choice.

    • chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 6:09 PM - Reply

      No it’s not for everyone as as we both know, not necessary. Regarding the dessert – there’s no sweetener in the mousse part, so it really wasn’t sweet. I don’t like sweet myself, and worse than that, cloyingly sweet! But the banana and butterscotch pairing just didn’t work for me that well.

  6. Mary September 13, 2021 at 3:37 PM - Reply

    In the small town where I live there used to be a sweet factory and if the wind was coming from the right direction the aromas were divine. I like your Butterscotch dessert but not with the Banana I think. Don’t know which other fruit would work. I like my Bananas just as they are. I’m sure this is perfectly beautiful for everyone else.
    I like to have a few ‘fast food’ recipes that are quick to knock up when I’m busy – not one for ‘takeout’ food – too greasy!!
    Thanks Mimi :))

    • chef mimi September 13, 2021 at 6:11 PM - Reply

      Oh goodness! It would have made me hungry all the time just to have food flavors in the wind! Well, that was my point exactly – the banana and butterscotch pairing were maybe too close in flavors? That’s why I’d prefer a dark chocolate sauce. I was in my 20’s – maybe 24 – when I had McDonald’s for the first time!

  7. Cynthia M Woodman September 13, 2021 at 10:46 PM - Reply

    Yum! Butterscotch is one of those flavors you never see much any more!

    • chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:31 AM - Reply

      Yeah I guess that’s true! Interesting.

  8. spicedblog September 14, 2021 at 6:48 AM - Reply

    I hear ya, Mimi! It’s so easy to resort to take-out or junk food on busy days. But it’s really not that hard to whip up an easy meal! With Robbie in kindergarten now, weeknights can be a bit hectic. We definitely keep a handful of quick recipes up our sleeves! Speaking of recipes, I love the flavors going on here! As Cynthia noted, butterscotch isn’t a flavor we see all that often anymore. I can see how it would pair quite well with banana!

    • chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:30 AM - Reply

      It added sweetness to the banana mousse, which wasn’t sweet – just cream and banana. I honestly never knew you could whip the two together in a blender and create a mousse!

  9. shannon September 15, 2021 at 3:04 AM - Reply

    Wow Mimi, this banana mousse looks absolutely AMAZING. So so elegantly served, your photos are mouthwatering.
    Anything with butterscotch, and I’m in! Yum!

    • chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:29 AM - Reply

      I know what you mean. Butterscotch and caramel are wonderful!

  10. kitchenriffs September 15, 2021 at 10:15 AM - Reply

    I’ve never read one of Gordon Ramsay’s cookbooks, nor watched his TV shows. I’ve seen some of his videos, though, and have read some of his recipes in magazines. He clearly knows his stuff, and I bet I’d like his books. Certainly like this recipe — neat flavors. And I like the purple background in the photos!

    • chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 11:04 AM - Reply

      Thanks, John. He has a show called Masterchef Junior, with little kids cooking! It’s so pleasant and incredible to watch. Such talent. Many have to stand on stepstools to cook! He definitely knows his stuff – I think he has more Michelin stars than anybody else. I’ve been to one of his restaurants and it was perfection – just what he promotes. High quality and consistency.

  11. chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 6:56 PM - Reply

    I completely agree!

  12. chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:32 PM - Reply

    Thanks, Valentina! I don’t think I did a good job of lining the glass, but thanks!

  13. chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:32 PM - Reply

    Thanks so much!

  14. Gloria Roa Baker September 15, 2021 at 7:33 PM - Reply

    I dont know why the post say Im anonimous, but I repeat looks amazing!!

    • chef mimi September 15, 2021 at 7:34 PM - Reply

      I don’t know why either! I’m sorry! And thank you!

  15. Gloria Roa Baker September 15, 2021 at 7:35 PM - Reply

    hahah was curious, is delicious Mimi!

  16. cookingwithauntjuju.com September 16, 2021 at 7:02 AM - Reply

    I would agree that chocolate would pair better with banana than the butterscotch, in my opinion. I do love butterscotch though and I sure would give this luscious dessert a try!

    • chef mimi September 16, 2021 at 7:27 AM - Reply

      The banana and cream whipped together to make a mousse was very enlightening! Can’t wait to do that again, for the grandkids!

  17. For the Love of Cooking September 16, 2021 at 10:26 AM - Reply

    You had me at butterscotch. It looks and sounds delicious!

    • chef mimi September 16, 2021 at 10:28 AM - Reply

      Ha! I know what you mean!

  18. Sippity Sup September 16, 2021 at 5:05 PM - Reply

    While I don’t have kids I could have written the rest of the post word for word. I probably would have picked the same dessert too. GREG

    • chef mimi September 16, 2021 at 5:10 PM - Reply

      H!!! That’s incredible!

  19. Debra September 16, 2021 at 11:29 PM - Reply

    I fell in love with this recipe immediately upon reading the title! All I can say is “heavenly.”

    • chef mimi September 17, 2021 at 7:22 AM - Reply

      Ha! Well just discovering you can whip bananas and cream in a blender and make mousse was totally enlightening!

  20. David Scott Allen September 17, 2021 at 2:50 AM - Reply

    Without actually realizing it, “Don’t skip meals or resort to junk food, however busy you are.” has actually kind of been my mantra. My mother was like you — healthy nourishing meals at all times, I never even had cereal until college (anf I still don’t like it.) The mousse and butterscotch ripple look lovely — thanks!

    • chef mimi September 17, 2021 at 7:22 AM - Reply

      Cereal? What’s that?! I do remember discovering Cocoa Puffs at a friend’s house, but nope. No cereal of any kind growing up. Nothing canned. Good for our Mom’s.

  21. Judee September 17, 2021 at 8:44 AM - Reply

    I’m not familiar with the cookbook but this dessert looks incredible. I can only imagine how good it tastes. I’m drooling.

    • chef mimi September 18, 2021 at 7:30 AM - Reply

      It was good! I never knew you could whip cream and bananas together and make mousse! Probably not the best thing to know…

  22. Hannah Kaminsky September 18, 2021 at 3:42 PM - Reply

    I definitely agree with you gifting theory, and not just because I’m a cookbook author. ;) It really is the gift that keeps giving, as you can make and enjoy the recipes for many years to come!

    • chef mimi September 19, 2021 at 9:49 AM - Reply

      Exactly! I love cookbooks, and being gifted cookbooks.

  23. Gerlinde September 19, 2021 at 4:33 PM - Reply

    We had a different kind of junk food when I was a kid in Germany and I loved every bite of it but most of the time I ate with all the people on our farm. It was all homemade . I love the combination of butterscotch and banal.

    • chef mimi September 19, 2021 at 4:34 PM - Reply

      I believe it. the European culture was so different when I was young.

  24. Sherry M September 23, 2021 at 5:46 AM - Reply

    even tho my house is overflowing with books of all sorts, i have 2 more cookbooks on the way and i have pre-ordered another two. i am so addicted:) Gordon is such a card isn’t he?

    • chef mimi September 23, 2021 at 6:29 AM - Reply

      I love Gordon. I think when he began showing up on American tv, people here just thought he was a gimmick. They had no idea what he had accomplished. He’s impressive. And I completely understand your cookbook addiction. I will never count my cookbooks. I don’t care what the number is!

  25. Jovina Coughlin September 24, 2021 at 11:17 AM - Reply

    Thank you for following my blog. I enjoy reading yours.

    • chef mimi September 24, 2021 at 11:22 AM - Reply

      Well I used to follow yours, but something happened!

  26. Keira Ball October 4, 2021 at 8:05 AM - Reply

    Looks delicious!

    • chef mimi October 9, 2021 at 4:55 PM - Reply

      It was really fun to make, and extra fun to eat!

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