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ffwd: double-chocolate and banana tart
I think this recipe should have been called a double chocolate and double banana tart. This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie is an unusual dessert. The double chocolate comes from a chocolate shortbread crust and a thick layer of ganache. The double banana comes from a layer of caramelized bananas and a layer of fresh banana slices.
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned below, the primary other eater at my house doesn’t mix fruit and chocolate and wouldn’t have anything to do with a banana for a million dollars. So I had to get a little creative with this one. Once again, I went the mini route. The full pastry recipe made four mini tart shells. I’ve made the non-chocolate version of this crust before. With both versions, I just love the ease of the press-in dough. I also think the texture and flavor of the pastry is excellent.
The original plan was to make one banana mini tart and then figure out what to do with the others afterwards. As it turned out, my friend Karen came over for a visit, so I made two banana mini tarts for us to eat while we caught up.
The caramelized bananas didn’t actually come out the way I expected. I don’t know whether I sliced the bananas too thin, but they pretty much fell apart while they were caramelizing. I did transfer the mixture to a parchment-covered plate, but there wasn’t anything to pat off, and when it cooled, I was afraid I’d be stuck with a hard candy blob. So, I quickly divided the soft mixture to the mini tart shells to harden in place.
The ganache layer was simple to put together. Hot cream is poured over finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to melt the chocolate. Then butter is whisked in to finish the ganache. I spread the ganache over the bananas and let it cool in the fridge for about an hour. I only made half the ganache called for and used only half in these mini tarts.
To finish it off, I arranged sliced bananas over the chocolate and glazed it with melted apricot jam. They were gorgeous!
Karen and I had fun critiquing the tarts and figuring out how to perfect them. We thought the caramelized banana layer was the best part and that there wasn’t nearly enough of it. In a full tart, the layer must have been awfully thin. We thought the tart should have had at least twice as much caramelized banana in it. We also thought the double chocolate might have been overkill, and that a plain shortbread crust would have been better. We also didn’t love the apricot glaze. A simple caramel drizzle would have been nice and maybe a touch of crème anglaise.
Howard wasn’t at all disappointed to miss out on the chocolate banana tart, but he does adore chocolate. I took a cue from the bonne idée for this one and combined Dorie’s idea for a chocolate nutella tart with Karen and my ideas on improving the original and concocted chocolate caramel almond tarts with the remaining two chocolate shells.
I spread a thin layer of Trader Joe’s fleur de sel caramel sauce on the bottom, then I reheated the rest of the ganache and spread that on top. Finally, I toasted some sliced almonds and layered them on top of the ganache and let it rest in the fridge to firm up. To finish it off, I drizzled more of the caramel over the almonds just before serving. It was pretty, not as gorgeous as the banana version, but looking fine. It was rich, but Howard liked it. I could see making the full sized version sometime.
Check out how the other Doristas made out with their tarts here. We don’t share the recipes here, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Going Banana-less with a Chocolate Caramel Almond Tart
Weekend Indulgences
One strategy we use to get out of the house and into the city is a subscription to the Huntington Theatre Company. The tickets are for the Saturday matinee, which leaves the option for a lunchtime or early dinner adventure. Seven guaranteed Saturdays in Boston.
This week’s production was in the South End, at the relatively new Calderwood Pavillion. The show was The Luck of the Irish, written by Kirsten Greenidge and directed by Melia Bensussen. The subject of this play was a little-known slice of Boston history, “ghostbuying”. This was the practice in the mid-20th century where upwardly mobile minorities, in this instance an African-American family, used the cover another family, a white Christian family, to buy a home in an otherwise white neighborhood. Half a century later, the white family asks for their house back. The timeline moved artfully from the 1950’s to present day, weaving the current day story between the grown grandchildren of the original African-American family and the aged Irish couple with the story of the young grandparents and the young Irish couple. We enjoyed the production, and it provided lots of fuel for discussion afterwards.
Saturday was a beautiful day, so after the show, we stopped by The Salty Pig on the back side of Copley Square for a drink and snacks at an outside table. What’s not to love about a restaurant with a menu that has one section of salty pig parts and another section of stinky cheeses. We crafted our own platter with porchetta, salami, and chicken liver mousse along with some strong-flavored cheeses from Vermont. We rounded out the plate with some olives and pickled peppers. It was a fun place to hang out, and we’ll be back.
We were home on the early side and were still craving something more to eat. Have you ever tried an instant hot chocolate cake? You mix individual portions in mugs and zap them for a few minutes in the microwave. I had imagined the cakes to be runnier, like molten chocolate cake, but they were a little overcooked. The recipe I started with was for just one cake, and Howard and I had a lengthy discussion about whether the same timing applied to two cakes or whether the time needed to be adjusted. I need to work on the timing, but they were very promising. No advance planning needed, and near instant satisfaction. This is a keeper.
Instant Hot Chocolate Cake
Makes 1
Adapted from this recipe
¼ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
½ beaten egg (2 tablespoons)
3 Tbsp cream (or milk)
3 Tbsp canola oil
Splash of vanilla extract
Handful of chocolate chips
In the biggest mug you have, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt with a fork. Add the egg and blend it in. Add cream, oil, and vanilla. Continue mixing until just combined. Now scatter the chocolate chips on top of the mixture. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, until puffed.
If you make two (what else would you do with the other half an egg?), try testing after 2 minutes. I cooked 2 cakes together for 4 minutes and it was too long. My guess is the perfect amount of time will be around 3 minutes. When I figure it out, I’ll update this post.
A Plateful of Happiness 