Banana-Stuffed Chicken

Cut the chicken breast halves almost in half again and open them up like a book so you form a butterfly shape. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and, using a heavy skillet or mallet, pound them to even out their thickness and make them thin. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Enclose a piece of banana by folding up the ends and sides around the banana and rolling up the chicken. Wrap each stuffed chicken piece in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or more.

In a saucepan, heat the butter and saute the garlic and shallots for a minute or until soft. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add the apple, curry powder and flour and cook for a minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour, beaten egg and bread crumbs, making sure each chicken piece is entirely coated with bread crumbs. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet and saute the chicken on all sides to brown. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, puree the sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pass it through a sieve and transfer it to a small saucepan. Add the cream if you wish, and simmer, over low heat until hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mound some cooked rice in the middle of each plate. Slice the chicken into 3/4?inch slices and set the slices around the rice. Ladle the sauce around the chicken. Garnish each plate with a sprig of cilantro.