9.26.2009

Chocolate Banana Tart

Cupcakes, brownies, cake - these are what I consider easy and safe desserts. So I've decided to challenge myself and try to make a tart....100 percent from scratch. Plus this is an excuse to go to Sur La Table and buy tart pans! I got the 5-inch for this experiment. (On a side note, i was once quite fond of saying "if it were a boy I would marry it" when confronted with inanimate objects that I could not live without. So Sur La Table, I say this with the utmost respect and seriousness, If you were a boy I would marry you. Tomorrow.)

For the crust: butter (4tbsp), sugar (2 tbsp), salt (1/8tsp), egg (1), all-purpose flour (3/4 cup)
For the filling: heavy cream (3tbsp), vanilla extract (1tsp), sugar (1/2tsp), banana (1), chocolate chips, melted (3tbsp), brown sugar (2tsp)

To make the crust, combine butter, sugar and salt in a bowl. beat in egg, flour until you get a dough mixture. Dust a surface with flour and drop the dough onto it and knead it a few times. Wrap in plastic wrap or put in a plastic baggie and put in the fridge for at least 35 minutes. Heat oven to 350. Once the time is up, divide the dough (depending on what size tart pans you have. I made 4 so i divided it into 4 pieces). Press 1 piece into each tart pan working the dough up the sides. (see below.) Then prick the dough along the bottom several times with a fork to let it breath! Gently press a small square piece of foil in the middle and put a tsp of uncooked rice on it to prevent the pastry from puffing up in the oven. Place all of the tart pans on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and rice from shells. Return crust to oven and cook about 9 more minutes.

Next, beat the heavy cream with vanilla and sugar. Beat in half of a banana until it is mashed well.
Then add the melted chocolate to the mix. Divide the filling among the tart shells and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Next, pour some brown sugar into a small pan, then slice banana into the pan. Cook on low. when the banana slices start to sizzle, stir to coat with the sugar. Cook until slices are browned and caramelized. When ready, top each chart with some of the banana slices/sugar mixture and serve.
These are still great the next day, we proceeded to eat the remaining two the next morning!

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