Sure everyone loves an Apple Tarte Tatin, but have you ever tried its sexy cousin the Banana Tarte Tatin? Sure some people says she gives it up too easy, but I think she's amazing. Less trouble peeling, less cooking time and just as tasty, you have to give this one a go!
This is a great dinner party dessert as you can make it hours in advance and it will quite happily sit on the bench just waiting for you to pop it in the oven for the final bake when your guests have finished mains #dinnerpartyexpert #notmyfirstrodeo. You can make individual tartes using large ramekins (about 12cm in diameter) or small baking dishes which I think looks more elegant, or more of a rustic presentation and make one large tarte which you can slice. The depth of the caramel is up to you. I prefer the slight bitter notes that come through when you take your caramel quite dark but if you prefer more of a sweet result, just take it to a light caramel. Do keep in mind though that the caramel will cook further when you bake it so leave some room for it to get darker. As you can see from the very short ingredients list, there isn't much that goes into this dish but the result is pretty spectacular and always impresses my guests! If you want to challenge yourself, you could make the puff pastry yourself, but for me, this recipe is all about maximum reward for minimal effort so I'll stick to the frozen variety.
“What makes this such a simple recipe is that unlike the traditional apple tarte tatin, you don't have to cook the fruit in the caramel first because the bananas are already soft.”
Another time saver is that it is a hell of a lot quicker and easier to peel a banana than is is an apple so prep time for this dish is halved.
Banana Tarte Tatin an original recipe by Kimberley Kells
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 4 Tarte Tatins (in approx. 12cm baking dishes/ramekins)
4 Bananas, peeled and sliced into 2cm thickness
180g Caster Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Water
1 Sheet of Frozen Puff Pastry
Vanilla Ice Cream to serve
Step 1- Stir the sugar and water in a small saucepan until combined.
Step 2- Place onto the stove over high heat and let bubble until a caramel colour, without stirring. I like it quite dark but, cook to your own preference.
Step 3- Remove from the heat and pour evenly into 4 large ramekins. No need to pre-butter or grease the ramekins.
Step 4- Allow to cool slightly before arranging the sliced bananas on top of the caramel.
Step 5- Cut a circle of puff pastry to fit snugly inside the ramekin and place on top of the bananas, tucking in at the sides. You can leave the tarte tatins on the bench at this stage until you are ready to bake.
Step 6- Bake at 180c for about 20 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden. Carefully flip onto plates and serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.