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Monatsarchive: February 2010

Rhubarb And Red Berry Crumbles

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumbles


I get giddy pretty often. I can’t help it. It’s my self defense mechanism against discontent, routine, hardship. My heart does a happy dance reading a friend’s book feeling so proud of her as I realize the depths of her talent. My toes start moving in my shoes while listening to a perfect piece of music. I get giddy pulling out a perfectly moist and tender gluten free banana bread out of the oven. The little things deserve inner celebrating. I get giddy.

This week it was finding rhubarb for the first time this year. Yes, I know. I am easy. Making Rhubarb and Red Berry Crumbles was even easier.

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumbles


It’s a bit early still to have outdoor cultivated rhubarb over here (April/May) and I knew by the intense red color that this one was hothouse rhubarb (grown in heated greenhouses). I also knew it would be sweeter than its outdoor sister which was perfect on so many levels mixed in with berries in a crumble. B. wondered if he would have to drown his crumble under a mound of vanilla ice cream to offset all that tartness. Nope.

As I was mixing the crumble topping, I started going over my reasonning with him and that’s when my husband looked at me as if I were the biggest baking geek out there. This type of rhubarb would be tart enough to make you notice it but would round the tartness of the raspberries while boosting up the flavor of the blueberries. Add a gluten free crumble topping with a pinch of cardamom and you have the perfect dessert to brighten any day.

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumbles


Come to think of it we are big geeks. We start on a topic and bounce off ideas, questions and solutions all the time. Can be his trombone playing, my baking, writing, photography, vintage car fixing, the moon, the stars and everything in between. Absolute fun but it drives my parents insane when they come visit as they are trying to keep up.

Speaking of which…I know I will be making these crumbles again very soon when my parents come to visit. They will be here in just three weeks! They arrive 2 days after my return from teaching baking and photography workshops in Los Angeles and Seattle. Talk about timing! No time to noodle around to get the house ready and the fridge full! It’s been over a year since they have come to visit. Oh! I just can’t wait!

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumbles


My mom loves stewed fruits of any kind. That’s the fate we usually reserve for over ripe fruits back home. Growing up it was my breakfast and dessert of choice: stewed fruits over her homemade yogurt and a sprinkle of muesli for crunch. I guess that’s why I love crumbles so much. Similar in texture, contrasting soft fruits and crunchy topping. Yet a tad more decadent with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. One night I even got fancy and candied some rhubarb peel on top. Inner happy dance…

One more thing: my friend Valentina who is an insanely talented photographer is teaching young kids the art of photography but the school needs a little help either in the form of used cameras or donations to purchase cards. It would only take 150 of us giving $10 each to help them meet their goal. That’s not much. I love the idea of teaching children such crafts and arts at an early age. They can learn so much more than just how to take a picture: architecture, technology, discipline, community, etc… Click here for more information on how to help.

Rhubarb & Red Berry Crumbles



Rhubarb and Red Berry Crumbles:

Serves 6-8

Notes: I start by preparing the crumble first so I can freeze it while I prepare the fruit and preheat the oven. This way, I can easily grate it over the ramekins or baking dish before baking and not get it too soft in between my fingers as I top the fruits with it. If you tolerate gluten, replace all the gf flours with 1.5 cups of all purpose or soft whole wheat flour.

For the topping:
3/4 cup (90gr) millet flour
3/4 cup (120gr) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (65gr) tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of salt
1 stick (115gr) unsalted butter, cold, in small pieces
1/4 cup (80gr) honey

For the fruits:
3 cups (365gr) rhubarb, fresh or frozen
1 cup (125gr) raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup blueberries (150gr) fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons (16gr) cornstarch
juice and zest of half a lemon
2 tablespoons (40gr) honey

Prepare the crumble topping:
In a large bowl, stir together all the flours, cardamom and pinch of salt. Add the butter and honey and start mixing everything together with your fingertips. You want to form a few large clusters of dough. It will be easier to grate once cold. Freeze the mixture while you prepare the fruits.

Preheat the oven at 350F and position a rack in the middle.

Prepare the fruits:
If you are using fresh rhubarb, peel it first then cut it in small pieces (about one inch). Use frozen as it is.
In a large bowl, mix together the rhubarb and berries along with the cornstarch, lemon juice and zest and honey. Stir the whole mix delicately as not to break the raspberries too much. Divide the mixture into lightly buttered ramekins or one 13×9-inch baking pan.

Assemble:
Grate the cold crumble mixture right over the fruits with either a cheese grater or a microplane with large holes.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the fruits start to bubble and the topping is golden brown. Handle with care – bubbling juices are very sneaky!

If you desire to candy and twirl some rhubarb strips, it’s pretty easy actually:
Start by heating on the stove on medium high, equal parts sugar and water until the sugar dissolves (simple syrup.
Preheat the oven at 200F.
With a vegetable peeler remove long strips from the rhubarb stem. Dip them in the simple syrup and lay them flat on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone mat and let dry in the oven for about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and quickly twirl the rhubarb strips around wooden spoons, skewers, etc..let cool completely.

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Le P’tit Coin Francais:

Crumble Rhubarbe Et Fruits Rouges:

Pour 6 a 8 personnes

Notes: je prepare le crumble avant les fruits car je le mets au congelateur pour pouvoir le gratter a meme les ramekins avant la cuisson. Une gratte a fromage ou une "microplane" a grands trous suffisent. Si vous ne desirez pas utiliser de farines sans gluten, remplacer les par 190gr de farine normale.

Pour le crumble:
90gr farine de millet
120gr farine de riz brun
65gr farine de tapioca
une pincee de cardamome
pincee de sel
115gr beurre non sale, froid, coupe en petits morceaux
80gr de miel

Pour les fruits:
365gr rhubarbe, fraiche our surgelee
125gr framboises, fraiches ou surgelees
150gr myrtilles, fraiches ou surgelles
16gr maizena
jus et zeste d’un demi citron
40gr miel

Prepare le crumble:
Dans un grand bol, melangez les farines, cardamome et le sel. Ajoutez le beurre en des et le miel et melanger le tout du bout des doigts. Formez de larges boules de pate et mettez les au congelateur pendant que vous preparez les fruits.

Prechauffer le four a 180C et positionnez une grille au milieu.

Pour les fruits:
Si vous utilisez de la rhubarbe fraiche, epluchez-la d’abord et coupez la ensuite en petits morceaux.
dans un grand bol, melangez la rhubarbe et les fruits rouges. Ajoutez la maizena, le zeste et jus de citron et le miel. Melangez doucement pour ne pas casser les framboises. Repartissez les fruits dans des ramequins legerement beurres ou dans un plat rectangular de taille moyenne.

Assembler:
Sortez le crumble du congelateur et grattez le au dessus des fruits pour bien les recouvrir. Cuire le tout 20 a 30 minutes ou jusq’a ce que le crumble soit d’une belle couleur doree.

Pour les accordeons de rhubarbe: faites un sirop simple en diluant la meme quantite d’eau et de sucre a feu moyen. Trempez dedans de longue bandes d’epluchures de rhubarbe et les mettres sur une plaque recouverte d’une feuille de papier sulfurise ou de silicone. Faire secher a feu tres doux pendant une heure. A la sortie du four, les tortilloner autour de cuillieres en bois ou autre les laissez refroidir completement.

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly


If it weren’t for a bit of a chill early morning (pre-sun rising), you’d be hard pressed to feel like it is still winter here. It seems like it all happened in the past couple of days. No more need for a coat, no more fires. Piping bowls of soup are not preciously close to the body and used as hand warmers anymore. The skies are changing color. That wintry filter in front of the sun is slowly disappearing each day.

Even produce at the store is losing its marbles. It’s a bit of a mess during this seasonal transition. There’s everything everywhere. Usually it starts bugging me by late February except this year. I needed this off season produce frenzy to work on Carrie’s book as I was covering four seasons, breakfast items, main meals and desserts. I hate to admit it but for once, the fact that I could find plump and gorgeous tomatoes from California in the middle of February was making me jump for joy instead if mumbling "not the season yet damn it".

Tulips


My seasonal cook preference to find the berries stands completely void of raspberries this time of year was quickly meant with slight panick when I needed a bunch for a few recipes (had to be fresh). Good thing there was lots of other things to work on but you can bet that when the shelves filled up again, so did my cart! I had a couple of pints left over and decided to make these Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly.

I thought I was commiting another seasonal faux pas when I loaded my basket with (incredibly cheap) Meyer lemons for an article but Sam, my produce guy, told me their season could extend as late as April. I raised an eyebrow and said "that’s awesome. If you are in California. Since they’re not indigenous to our parts so really, we should take it to the streets and strike!" to which he replied "You’re so French. Striking!". We were both joking but deep down not so much.

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly


To sum it up, don’t do what I did for these tarts unless raspberries are in season where you are. They were good but I felt like I was holding a box of diamonds at $6 a pint. Trust me, even though the photo gig is over, I am still making the last pint last to the last berry. They’re good, don’t get me wrong but I *know* they will be way better in a couple of months.

On the other hand trust me when I say that the combination of shortbread dough, topped with pistachio frangipane and fresh raspberries was pretty darn good on its own. Believe me again when I add that the Meyer lemon chantilly will wrap this whole thing in the best bite of tangy whipped cloud that will make you giggle in all the right places.

Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly


Raspberry Pistachio Frangipane Tarts With Meyer Lemon Chantilly:
Serves 8

Notes:
– I used eight 3-inch mousse rings to bake mine but you can fit the whole thing into an 8 or 9-inch pie plate. The tart filling will probably need extra baking time (add 10-12 minutes) at the same temperature.

– I used a combination of basic gluten free flours but you can substitute all purpose or whole wheat flour in the same quantity.

– As you can imagine, when I was preparing the dishes for Carrie’s book I had to use the exact same ingredients she does in her recipes. There were only two I was not much familiar with, one of which was "organic whole cane sugar", an unrefined and unbleached sugar with nice molasses undertones (and much healthier). It’s not organic cane sugar, nor organic brown sugar and you will find it with the names rapadura or sucanat sometimes. I love molasses so I have fallen completely in love with it. It doesn’t go with every dessert but it worked really well in the shorbread dough. Of course, feel free to substitute regular granulated sugar or a strong brown sugar like demerara or dark muscovado.

– The other one was coconut oil. I knew of it, I knew some about it but I never used it in my cooking. I do now everyday (while keeping using butter, olive oil, avocado oil, etc…) A little goes a long way but make sure to get the best kind: unrefined, extra virgin cold pressed. It is more expensive than most store bough coconut oil but a little goes a long way. It does smell like coconut but not as strongly (if at all) when cooked or baked.

For the shortbread bottoms:
1 stick (115 gr) unsalted butter or coconut oil, at room temperature
1/2 cup (95gr) whole organic cane sugar (or granulated or dark brown)
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup (80gr) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (80gr) white rice flour
1/4 cup (30gr) sorghum flour
(Or use 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour instead of the 3 mentioned above)
2 tablespoons (20 gr) tapioca starch
pinch of salt

For the pistachio frangipane:
1 stick (115 gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (95 gr) organic whole cane sugar (or granulated)
1 cup (100 gr) ground pistachios
2 eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream

For the Meyer lemon chantilly:
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
zest of one Meyer lemon

2 pints fresh raspberries

Prepare the tart shells:
In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Add the flours, tapioca starch and salt and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic (it tears easily). You will need half the amount of dough to make the tartelettes. The other half can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen, well wrapped for up to 3 months. Cut out eight rounds with a 3-inch pastry ring, dock with a fork and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Prepare the pistachio frangipane filling:
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
Place the butter, sugar, ground pistachios, and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir it in carefully instead of whisking it (you do not want to emulsify it or it will rise while baking). Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place the 8 baked rounds of dough in eight 3-inch pastry rings, divide the cream evenly among the rings and bake 20 minutes. Let cool.

Prepare the Chantilly:
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand held) whip the heavy cream together with the honey and lemon zest to medium stiff peaks.

Assemble the tarts:
Pipe or spoon a generoud dollop of chantilly in the middle of each tart and place raspberries all around. Oh yeah…Eat!

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Le P’tit Coin En Francais:

Pour la pate sablee:
115 gr beurre non salee, a temperature ambiante
95 gr de sucanat (ou sucre integral – voir ici) (ou un bon sucre brun)
1 jaune d’oeuf
80gr farine de riz brun
80gr farine de riz blanc
30gr farine de sorghum
(Ou utilisez 160gr de farine au lieu des trois mentionees ci dessus)
20 gr de farine de tapioca (ou maizena)
pincee de sel

Pour la frangipane pistache:
115 gr beurre non sale, mou
95 gr sucanat (ou sucre brun)
100 gr de pistaches en poudre
2 oeufs
60ml de creme liquide entiere

Pour la chantilly au citron:
250ml de creme liquide entiere
1 cuilliere a soupe de miel
zeste d’un citron Meyer ou autre

500 gr de framboises fraiches

Preparer les fonds de tartes:
Dans le bol d’un mixer, fouetter le beurre et le sucre pendant 2-4 minutes. Ajoutez le jaune d’oeuf et battre jusqu’a ce que le melange soit homogene. Ajoutez les farines, le tapioca et le sel et melanger brievement pour obtenir une pate a biscuit. Formez la pate en boule sur votre plan de travail et refrigerer 30 minutes a une heure. (la moitie suffit pour la recette mais la pate se garde bien au congelateur pendant 1-3 mois).
Prechauffer le four a 170C.
Sur votre plan de travail etalez la pate sur une epaisseur d' un demi centimetre. Decoupez 8 cercles de 5cm de diametre environ et piquez les a la fourchette.
Faites les cuire environ 8 minutes. Laissez les refroidir completement et posez les dans des cercles a tarte de 5cm de diametre et de 2 cm de haut.

Preparez la frangipane:
Prechauffez le four a 170C.
Dans un grand bol, melangez tous les ingredients et ajoutez la creme doucement pour ne pa l’emulsionner ou la creme risquerait de gonfler au gour. Gardez la au refrigerateur 30 minutes a une heure.
Dressez la creme sur les fonds de tarte et cuire environ 20 minutes. Laissez refroidir completemet avant de garnir avec la chantilly.

Preparez la chantilly au citron:
Dans le bol d’un mixer, montez la creme en chantilly avec le miel et le zeste de citron. Garnir une poche a douille avec la chantilly et deposez des rosettes de creme au centre des tartes. Ajoutez les franboises tout autour.

A Bouquet of Raspberry Mascarpone Macarons

A Valentine's Day Macarons Bouquet


Didn’t expect to take this long to announce the winners of the cookbook giveaway but we had snow over the weekend. Snow! In Charleston! (which was gone by 9am the day after). Kind of – sort of – just about unheard of. I did not even know of B’s existence the last time it snowed in Charleston. So yes…while everyone was glued to the tv weather report worrying about a ooplah of a inch accumulation, I was outside with the pups, dancing and playing in the streets, in the woods and by the marsh.

Anyways…Congratulations to Victoria N. winner of Amy’s Bread and Rosa from Rosa’s Yummy Yums, winner of Unforgettable Desserts. Email me at mytartelette{at}gmail{dot}com with your postal addresses please!

I wanted to hear that particular sound after the snow falls. A muffled breeze. The sound of silence soft as a cotton ball. The intense pleasure of snow falling on my face at midnight in immaculate quietness. Alone. The brightness of the moonlight bouncing off the snow. The dogs chasing snow and eating it as if it were cotton candy.

Raspberry Macarons Lollipops


I know it sounds crazy but the evening was made complete by a loss of power. Right when the snow stopped for a moment. We never get this weather so our power lines probably got overwhelmed by a few flecks. Didn’t bother me. The spectacle was outside. There are always reruns to watch the Olympics. Good thing I did not have a batch of macarons ready to go in the oven when we lost power. I did shortly after the power came back though!

I did make this Raspberry Mascarpone Macarons bouquet for my Valentine. Because we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Hmmm…I need to backtrack there because I saw your eyebrows go up half an inch just then. We both dislike Valentine’s Day. We’ve always had that knee-jerk reaction when the Hallmark labeled "sweetest day" of the year would roll in. Most years we were both at work that day, him in the front of the house serenading couples out on the town and me in the back of the house plating them the "de rigueur" chocolate lava cake or swan petit choux.

We don’t celebrate the sweetest day because each day we are together is well, pretty darn sweet as it is. It is! We feel bad for the people experiencing all the pressure of an evening having to go perfectly. Perfect is not real people! It does not last. Perfectly wrapped up love is pretty but insipid. Love is messy. Love is jumps and loops. Not bows and boxes. We both joked that we might get our "on the sweet side of life" citizenship cards revoked given our sarcastic comments associated with the day.

A Valentine's Day Macarons Bouquet


We also know that for some folks it is a bunch of hopes all wrapped up in many emotions getting a chance to come out on V-Day. We get that. We love that. I get chills watching young men getting roses at the stores. I love watching couples roaming the isles planning a great meal by candlelight. I get that. I still couldn’t tell you where the candles are in our house. Hurricane lamps I can. It was with this last thought that I turned to Bill and said "Oy! Time to do one fluffy puffy red or pink, smallish please, drippy sweet thing today. I fear it’s bad juju now if we don’t. I don’t even know if we have candles anymore!!"

He went and got me roses. For the argument we have not had yet and which he already knows he is going to lose. His words. I made him a bouquet of macarons. Pink macarons with a mascarpone raspberry filling. His favorites.

I’ve been toying with the idea of putting a macaron on a stick for a while. I even mentioned to Bakerella, the Queen of cake pops, when she took my macaron workshop in Atlanta that I wouldn’t be surprised if she came up with a macaron pop next. Then I thought, "eh, why can’t I? Hope she won’t mind!" I emailed Angie-Bakerella one night that I was making macarons pops for Valentine’s Day inspired by all her fun cake and cookie pops. She emailed back with a couple of pictures of her latest creation: adorable macaron pops! Made me so happy that we had been on the same wave length with these. I felt largely vindicated in my macaron geekiness. Ha!

A Valentine's Day Macarons Bouquet


I think that more than love on Valentine’s Day, I love when ideas come together completely by chance. Genuine coincidences. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Dear Angie-Bakerella, Bill said he’d share one of his macarons with you, because this Valentine’s Day, you were the sweetest thing. Love from the both us…

Raspberry Mascarpone Macarons:

For the shells:
90 gr egg whites (use eggs whites that have been preferably left 3-5 days in the fridge)
25 gr granulated sugar
200 gr powdered sugar
110 gr almonds (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)
1 tablespoon cherry pink powdered food coloring

Prepare the macarons:
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry. Place the powdered sugar and almonds and powdered color in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add them to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 280F. When ready, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer.

For the filling:
4 oz mascarpone, room temperature
2-3 tablespoon good quality raspberry preserves

In a small bowl, whisk together the mascarpone and preserves together until well incorporated. Fill a small piping bag with a large plain tip (Ateco #809) with it and pipe in the center of each shell. Let the shell mature at least 24 hours in the fridge so all the flavors have the chance to meld together.

Special Edition – Two Cookbooks Giveaway!

Strawberries 'N Cream


I’m coming here empty handed today. Well almost…Looks like I won’t be around here much this week and I apologize for that. I was hoping to have pictures of some of the behind the scene moment of the work for Carrie’s cookbook but I got to tell you, when 2am rolls around…I have no more energy left to bake and write.

Carrie is here, staying at the house for a few days working with me on her book. It’s the first time we meet in person and it really feels special to be part of making her dream come true. Above is an out take of one of the dessert for a her book. I was putting things together and wanted to check the morning light in the studio one morning.

I fall asleep flipping through pages of other people’s cookbooks knowing that I am never going to have time to bake or cook anything from them. Instead of seeing them collect dust, I thought about holding a giveaway for a couple I have enjoyed reading so far. More like salivating as I read! I have two wonderful books up for grabs for you today: Amy’s Bread and Unforgettable Desserts.

All you have to do is leave a comment here (one entry per person) between Tuesday February 9th and Friday February 12th midnight eastern US time. I’ll ship anywhere in the world. My dear B. will pick at random a winner for each cookbook.

I really am bad at having a pool of recipes ready to go for busy times. I wish I was as organized as my buddy Jen. Sigh…I have a post in draft mode. I don’t have things properly aligned in my head yet. Ha…that could be a goal for 2010 right – a sort of late resolution. Hmmmm. I promise to work on that.

Thank you for your patience!

Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart & A CookBook For Haiti

Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart


What I am happy and honored to announce below is closely related to the Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart above. But I need your attention for 2 paragraphs before I tell you more about the tart. It’s important. [Update: the BlogAid Cookbook is not available for sale anymore. For more info read this.]

A few days after the horrible tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti, I received an email from Julie from Dinner With Julie that made me jump in my seat and say "Heck yes I’m with you!". She had been watching the news and with every passing hour, she was as feeling as upset and hopeless as a lot of us did. She had a plan to help raise money for Haiti and she emailed for help. Julie set out to create the BlogAid Cookbook. Twenty seven of us came together and provided her with some of our favorite recipes and pictures.

Julie and her friend Cathryn worked almost around the clock to pull it all together. and I am honored and thrilled to announce that the BlogAid Cookbook is up for order!

Blog_Aid_Button


The proceeds from the book sales will go straight to Haitian relief via the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders. It’s not all though! Both West Canadian AND Blurb are matching the dollar amount of the proceeds raised, to TRIPLE those dollars going to Haiti. And until February 12th, the Canadian government will match that.

It’s a POD (print-on-demand) system, meaning the books are printed and shipped as they’re ordered and arrive at your doorstep in about 8 days. You can purchase yours for a good cause here.

Vespa Green


While Julie was working on this project I was having interesting discussions with a good friend about buying too much, accumulating without purpose, wanting versus needing. I am the child of a homemaker and an army guy who lived on a small pension. I worked in a restaurant where every purchase-usage-spoilage was scrutinized, discussed and fixed. And it’s in everything I do now as an adult. I am not talking about being cheap but about using things to the last drop. Or the last crumb…

My friend has a small farm. She raises a few chickens. This year she got a couple of goats. She is slowly transitioning into a path that suits her to a T and she is making enormous sacrifices along the way. Her positive energy and generosity are always invigorating. So are the eggs she gives me for baking. You can bet that none of them go to waste. As a thank you I made her this Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart.

I love the meals and snacks that take place when I clean up the pantry of fridge of all the bits and pieces before it’s too late. A homemade vegetable soup with fried pieces of prosciutto, an omelette topped with the last bit of the aged gouda I like so much, a mixed up pasta dish full of different handful of herbs. I bet there’s a bit of the same going on in your kitchen at times!

Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart


Desserts are always a different story at our house. Between us, the neighbors, the friends, the family, it’s rare to have leftovers. Dough scraps seem to abound in the freezer though. Oh and little containers with only spoonfuls of ice cream. Too many. I lost track.

Bananas are always the ones that end up being frozen and forgotten or mashed and forgotten. Or simply forgotten. Except when I play my "make a dessert by association" in my head. Banana – peanut butter – chocolate – crust. I originally thought about doing just caramel and chocolate but this version ended up being much better than anticipated.

I finally nailed a gluten free chocolate shortcrust recipe that we both love and it makes perfect chocolate shortbread cookies too. The tart filling was soft and gooey without flowing all over your fork. Just don’t be walking around the house with a slice of pie. Don’t say I did not warn you…

Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart



Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart:

Serves 8-10

For the crust:
1 stick (113gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (60gr) unsifted powdered sugar
3 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1 cup (160gr) white rice flour
1/4 cup (30gr) amaranth flour
1/4 cup (40gr) tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1/4 cup (20gr) unsweetened cocoa powder

For the caramel-peanut butter-banana layer:
1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup peanut butter (your choice smooth or crunchy)
2 small bananas, peeled and mashed

For the chocolate ganache topping:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Prepare the crust:
In a mixer, whip together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beating well after each addition. Mix until incorporated. Add the three different flours, the xantham gum and cocoa powder and mix briefly. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured (use more rice flour) board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.
When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between two sheets of plastic to fit your prefered pie pan. (I went with rectangular this time) If the dough tears while you roll or/and transfer into the pan, just patch it with your fingertips. Line the dough with a piece of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dy beans and par bake for 15-20 minutes until completely done. Remove the weights and parchment paper.

Prepare the filling:
In a heavy bottom saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over meadium high heat and cook until you get a dark caramel. (do not walk away – it only takes minutes). Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream and butter. The mixture will bubble so be careful. Place the pot back on the stove and cook on low until the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, add the peanut butter and banana and whisk until completely smooth. Pour over the crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours before topping with the ganache.

Prepare the ganache:
Place the chocolate in a medium size bowl. In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the cream to a strong simmer. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for a couple of minutes and slowly stir in with a whisk or spoon until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes and spread all over the banana filling. Refrigerate until firm.

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Le P’tit Coin Francais:

Pour la pate:

115gr beurre mou
60 gr de sucre glace
3 jaunes d’oeufs
pincee de sel
160gr farine de riz blanc
30 gr farine d’amaranthe
40gr farine de tapioca
1/2 c.c de gomme xanthan
20 gr de cacao

Pour la garniture:
For the caramel-peanut butter-banana layer:
100gr sucre
2 c.s d’eau
2 cs creme liquide entiere
2cs beurre mou
30gr de beurre de cacahuete (avec ou sans morceaux)
2 petites bananes mure, epelees et ecrasees

Pour la ganache:
240gr chocolat en morceaux
125ml de creme liquide entiere

Le reste des instructions arrive…promis.

Chocolate Caramel Banana Tart