I am always looking for things to do with left over banana bread, I love eating it toasted with honey. I have had this recipe idea in my head for a while so I finally got around to trying it and it was amazing. Bostock is usually made with day old brioche bread orange syrup and almond cream but I decided to add some halva and sesame/honey spread into the cream mixture. I bet this recipe would be amazing with pumpkin bread and hazelnut cream that’s next on my list to try out.

I made the banana bread the day before and used what was left to make the bostock.

banana bread recipe (adapted from nigel slater)

• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp. 235g muscovado sugar
• 2 cups 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3 large bananas or 4 small approx. 320g
• 1/2 cup 125g butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch salt

syrup

• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• juice and zest of half a lemon or orange
• 100ml water
• 100g sugar

add the ingredients in a pan and stir until the sugar dizzolves, leave to simmer over a medium heat until it thickens then take off the heat and pour into bowl ready to brush on banana bread.

for the sesame halva almond cream

• 65g 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup 65g confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup 50g almond meal
• 3 tbsp. halva spread (can be made by mixing 1 tsp honey into three tbsp. sesame paste or tahini)
• 30g sesame halva crumbled up
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 1 medium egg lightly beated
• pinch of sea salt

in a bowl cream the butter until soft then sift in the confectioners sugar, then add half the almonds and mix, add the halva spread and mix then add the rest of the almond, add the salt and vanilla extract and vanilla seeds then add the egg.

slice the banana bread and place on a baking tray, then brush on the syrup wait for it to soak in and brush some more, spoon on the cream and spread out to the edges then sprinkle on some flaked almonds and bake for about 18 minutes.

Let cool a little and enjoy