Banana Caramel Tart
February 19th, 2013
Oh my gosh, my kids are winter break right now, and it is all girls, all the time. 12 outfit changes a day. Dress up “dressy dresses”, magic wands, fairy wings, light up shoes, glitter Toms, headbands, purple sparkle nail polish, pink play dough, tea parties, cookie baking, katy perry songs, tutu’s and pink scooters trailing ribbons and pink feathers.
Then today they made me watch Dolphin Tale. Seriously? Waaaaahhhhh!!!! I cried my eyes out.
So then after a nutritious dinner of chips and guacamole, (we get to do that on winter vacation, right?) I made this tart for dessert. Mostly because I just felt like caramel and bananas.
This is a super fast and easy tart. Like the kind of dessert you could throw together in 15 minutes and have people oohing and aaahing. Not bad, huh?
Crispy buttery crust (that comes from the freezer section- yay!!) rich creamy caramel and sweet bananas. Heavenly guys.
To make the tart, this is what you do:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the puff pastry dough out next to each other, and pinch the two sheets together to make one big tart . Then fold the edges over to make a crust.
Bake the crust in the oven until crispy and golden, about 10 minutes.
While the crust is baking, make the caramel sauce:
In a large heavy pan add the sugar and heat over medium heat.
When the edges start to caramelize, use a whisk to stir everything together.
When the sugar has melted, add the cream, which will bubble up.
It will initially seize up, but just keep stirring over low heat until the sauce is smooth. This can take up to 5-7 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the butter to the caramel, whisking until sooth.
Transfer to a bowl to cool and set the caramel aside.
Peel and slice the bananas into 3rds or quarters lengthwise.
Pour 2/3rds of the caramel over the tart.
Lay the bananas over the caramel.
Drizzle the last 3rd of the caramel over the top of the bananas, and use a spoon pr spatula to try and smooth the caramel over the bananas evenly.
Bake another 3-5 minutes until everything has melted together.
When you remove the tart from the oven, slice and serve hot or at room temperature.
Adapted from Food and WIne Magazine
Recipe: Banana Caramel Tart
Ingredients
- -1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)
- -4 bananas
- For the caramel:
- -1 cup sugar
- -1 cup heavy cream
- -1 teaspoon kosher salt
- -2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread the puff pastry dough out next to each other, and pinch the two sheets together to make one big tart . Then fold the edges over to make a crust.
- 2. Bake the crust in the oven until crispy and golden, about 10 minutes.
- 3. While the crust is baking, make the caramel sauce:
- 4. In a large heavy pan add the sugar and heat over medium heat.
- 5. When the edges start to caramelize, use a whisk to stir everything together.
- 6. When the sugar has melted, add the cream.
- 7. It will initially seize up, but just keep stirring over low heat until the sauce is smooth. This can take up to 5-7 minutes.
- 8. Remove from the heat and add the butter to the caramel, whisking until sooth. Set the caramel aside.
- 9. Peel and slice the bananas into 3rds or quarters lengthwise.
- 10. Pour 2/3rds of the caramel over the tart.
- 11. Lay the bananas over the caramel.
- 12. Drizzle the last 3rd of the caramel over the top of the bananas, and use a spoon pr spatula to try and smooth the caramel over the bananas evenly.
- 13. Bake another 3-5 minutes until everything has melted together.
- 14. When you remove the tart from the oven, slice and serve hot or at room temperature.
Preparation time: 5 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 12
Puff pastry is the bomb! Top it with bananas and caramel, yes ma’am!
5:22 am on February 20th, 2013
This is simply gorgeous, Heather. I love the banana/caramel combination!
5:56 am on February 20th, 2013
Oh Heather! This tart has me drooling!!! Gorgeous!
6:01 am on February 20th, 2013
Thank you so much!!
7:12 am on February 20th, 2013
This looks so amazing! Oh to try a bite of that right now!
7:21 am on February 20th, 2013
there is a half a tart just hanging out on my counter Marian!
7:22 am on February 20th, 2013
Heather-this tart is AMAZING! I am in love!
7:31 am on February 20th, 2013
Thank you Maria!!
7:40 am on February 20th, 2013
Little girls and anything pink and sparkly…..gotta love this phase! It passes so quickly. I think I could probably eat this entire tart by myself.
7:43 am on February 20th, 2013
It is certainly fun and funny. Yeah- I could eat the whole tart by myself too :)
7:47 am on February 20th, 2013
Love how you styled this tart with the whole bananas!
7:51 am on February 20th, 2013
Thanks Marla!!
7:53 am on February 20th, 2013
Drool! I am obsessed with caramel and bananas. I loved all your pictures. They left me drooling. This tart looks so rich but I think I would add a scoop of ice cream for good measure ! :)
8:03 am on February 20th, 2013
Indeed Elizabeth!!
8:07 am on February 20th, 2013
Oh My Word–completely irresistible!
8:12 am on February 20th, 2013
This is a great dessert! With the addition of a bit of cinnamon and rum it could be a bananas foster tart. Oh, that caramel is killing me. Good tutorial, too!
8:18 am on February 20th, 2013
Thanks Abbe!! Yes- booze too- then we would have a bananas foster!!
8:32 am on February 20th, 2013
I was thinking the same thing, Abbe! I love flambe’d things – including bananas foster.
8:41 am on February 20th, 2013
There are no words to express how amazing this tart is!
8:47 am on February 20th, 2013
LOVE everything about this!!!
8:58 am on February 20th, 2013
I need this in my life. right. now!
10:26 am on February 20th, 2013
Wow! Looks amazing!
3:32 pm on February 20th, 2013
haha, that’s too funny about the girls and those outfit changes and the tutus – omg, i can only imagine the glitter all over your floor from those dress up outfits!! it’s ok, because you can cower in a corner and eat this amazing looking tart while your kids play and you can savor the moment of aloneness & deliciousness :)
4:51 pm on February 20th, 2013
So incredibly right Julie!!
5:41 pm on February 20th, 2013
Loooove this!!
6:06 pm on February 20th, 2013
HELL YES. I need this asap
7:02 pm on February 20th, 2013
Heather this is a work of art!!! A delicious one :) Love!!!
5:54 am on February 21st, 2013
Thanks Jenny!
8:36 am on February 21st, 2013
I cant wait to make this! And watch A Dolphins Tale. And play dress up all day long! :)
5:55 am on February 22nd, 2013
haha! that’s how it goes all day long at our house!:)
6:41 am on February 22nd, 2013
I made this and brought it to a party. It tasted fabulous. Small problem, it sat on the counter for 3 hours before we ate dessert. By that point, the bananas started browning and looked like sardines. The taste was still there, but the presentation, fail! I will make it again, but only if it can be served immediately.
4:33 am on February 23rd, 2013
Oh shoot!! Did you get the bananas all covered in the caramel?? That should have preserved them?
9:19 am on February 23rd, 2013
If there are left overs, how do you store this? Do the bananas look horrible after the initial few minutes out of the oven?
4:55 pm on February 23rd, 2013
I stored them in tin foil (top and bottom pinched together) for up to two days. I did not have any of the discoloring or “shriveling” that Karen had. I feel so bad- I don’t know what the difference was?
10:19 pm on February 23rd, 2013