Banana lovers rejoice! Here is a feast of mouth-watering recipes for your favorite fruit, from breakfast to main dishes to desserts: Crisp-fried plantain chips dipped in fiery pepper sauce. Sea bass fillets grilled in aromatic banana leaves. Caramelized banana cream pie. Healthful smoothies, hearty vegetarian meals, cool banana cocktails, and, yes, the ultimate banana bread, studded with chunks of dark chocolate.
According to owner Danny Meyer, this tart is far and away the most popular dessert at the famed Union Square Cafe in New York. This recipe is adapted from The Union Square Cafe Cookbook (HarperCollins, 1994). One taste and you know it's a very special dessert--and it's not all that difficult to make at home.
The bananas are sliced fresh and placed on top of the tart crust, barely warmed then drizzled all over--Jackson Pollack fashion-with hot caramel and topped with macadamia nuts.
Makes: 6 servings
Crust:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
Banana topping:
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 large ripe bananas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 cup (about 5 ounces) chopped macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
Vanilla ice cream, optional
To make the crust
Beat the butter and the sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt and blend well. Add the flour and beat until moist clumps begin to form. Press the dough with your hands onto the bottom of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Pierce with a fork in a few places, about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bake the crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
To make the topping
Place a large baking pan filled halfway with cold water and a few ice cubes next to the stove. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the corn syrup, and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil. Boil the mixture, without stirring but swirling the pan occasionally so that it browns evenly, until it turns a medium amber color, about 7 minutes. Place the pan in the ice water to prevent further cooking and to cool it to lukewarm.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Arrange the banana slices, overlapping them slightly, in a concentric circle beginning at the crust edge and working your way in so that the crust is completely covered. Brush the remaining tablespoon of butter over the bananas and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until the tart is just warmed through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Rewarm the caramel topping over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the tart from the oven. Dip a spoon into the caramel and drizzle it back and forth in squiggly lines over the bananas. Remove the pan bottom and place the tart on a platter or large plate. Scatter the nuts over the top, slice and serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
