Banana Tarte Tatin

My younger daughter turns 3 today and the preparations are still in full swing. The cakes are baked, the big cake is almost finished. All that's left is to wait for the guests and for my little one's reaction :)

But before I show off the cake and the other birthday bakes, I'd like to share something simple that you can make when you're craving something sweet and only have a few ingredients in the fridge.

Tarte tatin is a French classic, usually made with apples, sometimes pears, and shortcrust or puff pastry. It's a dessert baked "upside down" that you flip over after baking. That's when the wonderful caramel that forms during baking is revealed. Today, though, I'm proposing a version with bananas.

The best option is a special tarte tatin dish or a small skillet that can also go in the oven. I arranged the caramelized bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and covered them with the pastry. The dessert turned out well, but this method makes it a bit harder to transfer the tart from the baking sheet to a springform pan.

Mini bananas are the best and fit this dessert perfectly, but you can also use regular bananas (very ripe ones, though) and trim them a bit.

Banana Tarte Tatin

Directions:

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, then mix them into the crème fraîche.

Stack the rolled-out puff pastry sheets one on top of the other, then cut out a circle 26 cm in diameter. Prick it a few times with a fork and set aside.

Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. In a skillet 24 cm in diameter, caramelize the sugar (cook until it turns brown), then add the butter and a small pinch of salt. Arrange the bananas in the skillet cut side down and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Cover the bananas with the pastry and put the skillet in an oven preheated to 220°C (430°F), on the middle rack, and bake for about 15-18 minutes. Once baked, immediately turn it out onto a plate, flipping it so the bananas are on top. Serve right away with the vanilla crème fraîche.

Enjoy!

Source: “essen und trinken” 3/2011