Salted Chocolate Banana Caramel Tart
Prep and Cooling Time: 40 mins + 1 hour | Cook Time: 35 mins | Course: Dessert | Yield: 12
Salted chocolate ganache over banana slices over a thick amber chewy caramel in a chocolate no fuss press in pastry crust. Have your ingredients out and pre-measured for the caramel. This recipe is adapted or rather had bananas added to Deb’s amazing Smitten Kitchen recipe. https://smittenkitchen.com/2018/12/chocolate-caramel-tart/
Chocolate Crust:
½ cup + 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ cup butter, diced
1 egg yolk
¾ tsp vanilla
Caramel Filling:
2 cups sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup light corn syrup
½ cup butter, diced
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp sour cream
½ tsp fleur de sel salt
2 bananas, sliced
Ganache Topping:
½ cup heavy cream
3 ½ - 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped or chips
Fleur de sel salt, a sprinkling
Layer powdered sugar, flour, cocoa and butter in a food processor. Process until the butter is in fine crumbs. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and process (not just pulse) until the dough forms clumps. Deb says this may take up to 30 seconds. Press dough into your tart or pie pan (this crust may also be done in a mixer but may require extra chilling time before pressing into your tart/pie pan). Deb recommends reserving a small ball of dough in case the pastry cracks. Press dough up the sides and smooth the bottom with a flat bottomed cup. Prick the pastry with a fork and place foil over the top. Freeze for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 325*. Bake chilled pastry for 15 minutes, remove and discard foil and repair any cracks with the leftover dough; bake another 5 minutes. Allow to cool on the counter top while making the caramel layer.
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, cook sugar, water and corn syrup until a beautiful amber or pale copper color is achieved. Do not be tempted to stir; this should take about 10 minutes but please go by color rather than the clock or any thermometer temperature. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the butter; caramel will steam up a bit. Add in the cream, sour cream and salt. Pour into the tart/pie plate and chill for an hour in the fridge.
Top the chilled caramel layer with banana slices. Bring the cream to a boil for the ganache in a small saucepan. Take cream off the heat and whisk in the chocolate. Pour and spread evenly over the banana slices and let cool to room temperature before sprinkling with the fleur de sel. Slice just before serving as the caramel layer will do that amazing oozy thing while plating.
