Banana Tart Tatin

Winter is now upon us. Meals need to be warm and hearty and they must, simply must conclude with dessert. How about a tart tatin?

Oh, if I say “tart tatin” possibly apples spring into mind. Perhaps a whiff of cinnamon. Probably not caramel and surely not bananas. How can you make a tart tatin with bananas?

Easily. Just read on. Author Hillary Davis of French Comfort Food is very direct about this dessert. She says it is less-than-perfect looking — something I think her own picture disputes — but that it definitely is gooey and messy and a supreme comfort food.

Her recipe calls for using a thawed sheet of frozen puff pastry, but you could adapt this recipe to the dough of your choice. Puff pastry will, well, puff up and provide elegance. This recipe can be prepared in a short time but is going to provide you with lasting memories.

Gooey and messy memories. And possibly perfect looking.

Yield: serves 8

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
½ cup (100 g) sugar, plus 3 tablespoons (35 g)
5 tablespoons (75 g) salted butter
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
6 bananas, not too ripe, peeled and sliced in half vertically or sliced in rounds

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).

For the Pastry Crust:

On a clean, floured work surface, roll out the pastry a bit larger than the size of your skillet then cut the pastry so that it is round and will fit into the pan. Sandwich it between 2 pieces of parchment paper and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Caramel:

In the skillet, add the sugar and cook on medium heat without stirring until you see the sugar begin to bubble and melt then swirl the pan a bit to help it liquidize. After a minute or two when it has turned to a light brown color, remove the skillet from the heat and slice in the butter. It will spatter, so be careful it does not touch your skin. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar and butter are blended into a smooth caramel sauce. Whisk in the vanilla.

For the Final Banana Tart Tatin:

Arrange the bananas in the skillet of caramel j sauce rounded side down if they have been cut vertically, or simply lay them, if cut in rounds, in circles from the outside inwards until they are all used. I Move them around a bit to create a pleasing circular pattern. Place the skillet on medium heat and cook without moving anything for about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Lay the puff pastry over the top of the bananas and tuck it in a little bit under the bananas around the edges. Slice a few small slits in the pastry. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and, careful not to let any of the hot caramel sauce drip onto your skin, immediately invert onto a serving plate. You might want to wear oven mitts to do this.

Ideas and Substitutions:

Try scattering some crushed rosemary leaves in the caramel sauce to add an intriguing scent and taste to the tart or scraping a vanilla bean into the sauce for a more pronounced vanilla flavor.

Banana Tart Tatin