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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
french fridays with dorie: provençal olive fougasse
One of the things I want to do more of in the kitchen is bake bread. While much of the time involved in bread baking is waiting time, my waking hours at home are limited, and even recipes that rise in the refrigerator usually need a couple hours out of the fridge to rise before baking. That means the bread is never quite done to coincide with a meal. It frustrates me that I can’t make it happen.
I’m very excited about this week’s Dorie recipe. I might have found a workable option in fougasse. Fougasse is not a loaf of bread for sandwiches and taste, but it’s just right to accompany a meal. I would liken it to a French or Provençal foccacia. Timing-wise, once the dough has risen in the refrigerator overnight, it only takes 45 minutes or so from fridge to table. Warm yeasty bread with dinner. Awesome!
The yeast is proofed in warm water, then combined with olive oil and mixed in with the flour. I also want to add more whole grains to my diet, so I used half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour which seemed to work well. The KitchenAid did the work of kneading while I pitted and chopped oil-cured olives, minced fresh rosemary, and zested an orange to mix into the kneaded dough.
I don’t know what it is about them, but I really like oil-cured olives. They are so fragrant and soft. They sort of remind me of savory prunes (which I mean as a praise for them, not an insult).
The dough did need to spend an hour or so rising, but the bread proofing setting on my oven does a great job at that. The setting holds the temperature at 100 degrees F, and the inside of the oven is draft-free. I did this after dinner, before bedtime. Then it’s into the refrigerator for a minimum 6 hour chill or up to 3 days.
After the First Rise
Wednesday night, I made half the dough into my first fougasse, after it had spent nearly 48 hours in the fridge. I quickly rolled out a rectangle, made some decorative slashes, and let the bread rest for about 15 minutes while the oven preheated. The bread was brushed with olive oil and water, and sprinkled generously with coarse kosher salt. Then, it’s just 20 minutes in the oven and voilà! Warm bread with dinner. My fougasse accompanied a potato chip tortilla (Dorie’s recipe too).
Early this morning, I made four mini fougasses with the remaining half of the dough. I also sprinkled coarse grey sea salt on top instead of kosher salt. I like the sparkly effect. These will make the perfect individual accompaniments to today’s lunch.
Petit Fougasses
Having made on fougasse, my mind is wild with ideas of what I can do with this recipe. I make even smaller fougasses for individual lunch-time servings to go with a bowl of soup or a salad. I’m also salivating over other mix-ins, like sun-dried tomatoes, some hard cheese cubes, or abundant fresh herbs. Other suggestions anyone? I can’t wait to try this again.
To see how my fellow Doristas did with their fougasses, check their link at French Fridays with Dorie. We don’t post the recipes, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
(Special note to my fellow Baking with Julia friends, I’m decided to sit this Tuesday out. After reading the sticky bun recipe through several times, I just don’t have it in me to make a recipe with that much butter in it. I’ll have to vicariously enjoy your creations. Can’t wait to read about them.)
A Plateful of Happiness 