OH LÀ LÀ! BANANÀ
BANANA TARTE TATIN WITH PISTACHIOS AND SALTY TOFFEE CARAMEL? OUI OUI!
I KNOW, BANANAS ARE NOT VEGGIES. LET’S NOT GET SCIENTIFIC HERE. OTHERWISE, I’LL HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY BANANAS ARE BERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES ARE NOT. LET’S JUST FOCUS ON HAVING A FUCKING GREAT TIME EATING A DECADENT, SWEET, SAVORY, CRUNCHY DESSERT.
FEEDS 6 II TIME: 60 MINS II DIFFICULTY: MONKEY BUSINESS FUN
INGREDIENTS
For the puff pastry
280g very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup very cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
For the topping
3 or 4 bananas, sliced lengthwise in half
1/3 cup chopped pistachios (42 grams)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (133 grams) – you can add some brown sugar for extra depth of flavor
3 tbsp (42 grams) room temperature salted butter, plus more for greasing the cake pan
Ice cream of cream for serving
GET COOKING
To make the puff pastry, begin by combining the flour and cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces of butter. Gradually add the cold water through the feed tube while pulsing until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to over-process.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for a couple of minutes. Then shape it into a rough rectangle. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
After chilling, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds like a letter, then rotate it 90 degrees. Roll it out again into a large rectangle and repeat the folding process. Repeat this rolling and folding process a total of 5 times. Or just once, or three times. It’s your fucking time, use it as you please, but the more you fold the dough, the nicer and crispier it will come out. Then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill it for at least another 30 minutes before using.
For the filling, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a cake pan with some of the unsalted butter. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the granulated sugar. If you want to add brown sugar for extra flavor, replace some of the granulated sugar with brown sugar at this stage. DON’T STIR! let the sugar melt until it turns golden brown. At this point you can swirl the pan to help the remaining sugar dissolve. Once all it’s dissolved, add the butter, I like to use salted butter to make this toffee caramel more balanced, and stir with a spatula until you get a beautiful and creamy caramel.
Pour the caramel into the prepared cake pan, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios over the caramel. Arrange the banana slices over the caramel and nuts in a single layer (if you have extra bananas, add a second layer if you feel decadent).
Roll out the puff pastry dough to fit over the cake pan. Carefully place the dough over the bananas, tucking the edges down around the fruit.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let the tarte tatin cool in the pan for a few minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.
Serve warm, perhaps with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Fuck yeah! Enjoy!
