Caramelised Banana Tartlets Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).
• Using an 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pan, cut a circle out from the puff pastry. Using a fork, poke holes all over the pastry to provide ventilation. Set aside.
• Cut the tops and bottoms off of the bananas, then halve 2 of the bananas crosswise and set aside.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the brown sugar and cook until fully incorporated and the sauce appears amber in color, about 5 minutes.
• Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Stir until combined.
• Add the bananas to the pan and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
• Turn the bananas to fully coat them with the caramel, then remove from the pan. Reserve the caramel.
• Grease the cake pan. Arrange the bananas on the bottom of the pan. Pour over the caramel sauce.
• Cover the bananas with the circle of puff pastry and ensure the edges are tucked into the pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.
• Let cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
• Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Sift flour and cocoa into small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat powdered sugar and butter in medium bowl until well blended. Beat in flour mixture. Beat in egg yolks 1 at a time. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Using 5-inch-diameter plate or bowl as guide, cut out rounds. Reroll dough scraps if necessary to form four 5-inch rounds total. Press each dough round onto bottom and up sides of 4 1/4- to 4 1/2-inch-diameter tartlet pan with removable bottom. Pierce crusts all over with fork. Freeze crusts 10 minutes. Bake until firm to touch and beginning to pull away from sides of pans, about 15 minutes. Cool crusts completely in pans on rack.
• Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until any caramel bits dissolve and caramel is smooth. Whisk in butter. Set aside.
• Bring cream and corn syrup to boil in heavy small saucepan. Add star anise; remove from heat. Cover; let steep 15 minutes. Discard star anise. Return mixture to boil. Remove from heat. Add 4 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate and butter; whisk ganache topping until smooth.
• Stir 1 ounce finely chopped bittersweet chocolate in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted. Brush inside of each crust with melted chocolate, then sprinkle each with 1 generous teaspoon chopped cashews. Spoon caramel filling over nuts in crusts (about 2 tablespoons for each). Chill tartlets until caramel sets slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Rewarm chocolate ganache topping just until pourable, if necessary. Spoon chocolate ganache atop caramel filling. Refrigerate just until ganache sets, about 45 minutes, then let tartlets stand at room temperature. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover tartlets loosely and let stand at room temperature.)
• Stir 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until medium (not deep) amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; slowly add orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon ginger juice. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Return mixture to boil, stirring until any caramel bits dissolve. Boil until sauce is slightly syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm over low heat just until pourable.)
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar; whisk until blended, about 1 minute. Add banana slices and toss to coat. Transfer banana mixture to small baking sheet. Bake until bananas begin to brown slightly around edges and sugar mixture bubbles, about 4 minutes.
• Remove sides from tartlet pans. Place tartlets on plates. Drizzle ginger caramel sauce around tartlets. Arrange banana slices alongside. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cashews and serve.
• *Brown star-shaped seedpods sold at Asian markets, at specialty foods stores, and in the spice section of some supermarkets

Steps:

• Lightly brush a baking sheet with butter, place one sheet of filo pastry on a board and brush with melted butter, then another and brush with melted butter and dust with 1 tbls icing sugar. Now place a third sheet of filo on top and again brush with melted butter, then a fourth with melted butter and dust with 1 tbls icing sugar. Repeat this to create another pile with the rest of the filo.
• Cut out 3 x 3inch circles from each filo stack so you have 6 stacks. Place onto the buttered baking sheet and bake in a pre heated oven at 350F/180C for 5-7 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool. Whip cream to soft peak and set aside.
• Heat the caster sugar in a heavy bottomed pan over high heat until dissolved then add banana chunks and cook for 1 minute.
• To assemble place a circle of filo on each plate, top with double cream, then a spoonful of bananas then another filo, cream and bananas. Top with third filo and dust with icing sugar. Drizzle a little of the caramel on the plate and decorate with a few segments of orange if desired.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Melt the sugar and butter together on a low heat without stirring the mixture. Once the sugar has melted, turn up the heat and bubble until it turns a deep caramel colour. If the butter separates from the caramel, take the pan off the heat and add 1 tbsp of warm water, stirring until the butter emulsifies again.
• Pour the caramel into a 23cm cake tin with a solid base and spread the caramel out quickly with the back of a warm spoon. Slice the bananas into 2cm-thick pieces and arrange them, cut-side down, in concentric circles in the tin, then sprinkle over a pinch of sea salt and half the orange zest.
• Cut the pastry into a circle 3cm larger than the tin. Lay the pastry on top of the bananas and tuck the edges down inside the tin. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until the pastry is risen and cooked through. Whisk the double cream with the icing sugar until soft peaks form. Add the rum, cinnamon and remaining orange zest, and whisk until just combined.
• Leave the tart to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then carefully turn the tart out onto a large plate, wearing oven gloves in case the hot caramel splashes. Serve with the cream.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450F.
• For the Crust: In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar, with an electric mixer, until blended.
• Beat in yolk, vanilla, and salt.
• Add flour and beat until moist clumps form.
• Press dough into bottom of 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.
• Pierce with fork and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Bake crust until golden (about 15 minutes).
• Cool.
• For the Banana Topping: Reduce oven temperature to 375F.
• Overlap banana slices on crust, covering completely.
• Brush melted butter over banana slices and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake until just warmed through (4 minutes).
• Drizzle with some caramel sauce (recipe follows).
• Sprinkle with macadamia nuts.
• Serve with ice cream and pass extra caramel sauce around.
• For Caramel Sauce: In a heavy saucepan, heat the cream over medium low heat until bubbles form, along the edges of the pan.
• Keep warm.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and lemon juice until well mixed.
• Cover the pot and place it over medium high heat until the sugar melts and bubbles, about 4 minutes.
• Remove the cover and occasionally swirl the pan or stir the mixture until the syrup is a golden amber color, 5 to 8 minutes.
• While cooking, brush the sides of the pan with a wet brush just above the bubbling sugar to keep crystals from forming.
• Stirring constantly, slowly pour in the warm cream.
• Bring to a boil, continuing to stir constantly.
• Cook until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, add the butter, and stir until the butter melts and the sauce is smooth.
• Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks; reheat in a pan of simmering water or a microwave.