Warm Chocolate and Banana Tart

Desserts by Pierre Hermé
1 8¾" tart
chocolate
banana
tart
raisins
rum

The filling for this is not a traditional ganache, as it is egg-based rather than cream-based. Cream would not stand up to the baking, and egg yolks give a rich, wonderful texture that must not be tampered with.

Crust

1 fully baked 22cm tart shell Use Pierre Hermé's sweet tart dough recipe

Cool to room temperature, but leave in the tart ring on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Raisins

½ cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons dark rum
3 tablespoons water

Cook all ingredients together over low heat, stirring, until the raisins are soft and plump, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let raisins macerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day.

Bananas

1 banana firm but ripe
1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter ¾ ounce
sliver habanero pepper optional, but I use it
3½ tablespoons sugar
pinch black pepper freshly ground, about 2 turns of mill
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it close by your range.
  2. Peel the banana, cut on the bias into ⅛" think slices. Toss the slices with the lemon juice to avoid discoloration.
  3. Melt butter in a large heavy non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the habanero with the butter, removing it when butter starts to bubble.
  4. Add bananas and turn them to coat with bubbling butter.
  5. Sprinkle the sugar over the bananas and cook, turning the bananas, until they are golden and caramel-coated. (If you don't use high heat, the bananas will just melt rather than caramelize.)
  6. Add the black pepper; stir and cook for 1 minute more. The bananas should be soft inside and caramel-crisp outside.
  7. Transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet and pat them gently on both sides with paper towels to remove excess butter.
  8. Cool to room temperature.

This can be done a couple of hours ahead of time and the bananas kept at room temperature.

Ganache

4¾ ounces bittersweet chocolate preferably Valrhona Noir Gastronomie, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter 4 ounces, cut into 8 pieces
1 large egg at room temperature
3 large egg yolks at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
  1. Center rack in oven and preheat to 375°F.
  2. Fill crust with raisins and all but a few slices of banana. (I generally reserve five slices as a tart-topper.)
  3. Melt the chocolate and butter in separate bowls and cool each to 104°F, as measured on an instant-read thermometer. The tart texture requires that both be at this temperature, and since they heat and cool at different speeds, this is the most finicky part of this recipe.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, gently stir together the egg, yolks, and sugar with a small whisk, just until sugar is blended. Do not beat air into the mixture.
  5. Switch to a rubber spatula, and gently stir in the melted chocolate, starting in small circles in the center and working out into larger circles.
  6. Add the butter in the same manner. You should have a glossy, perfectly smooth mixture. Incorporating the chocolate and butter slowly creates an emulsion.
  7. The ganache must be used immediately, so quickly pour it into the crust.

Baking

Bake the tart for exactly 11 minutes. (Really, just 11 minutes.) The top will look a little dry around the edges, but the center will still be shiny and a bit jiggly. Remove from oven and top with reserved caramelized banana slices.

The tart is ready to eat as soon as it comes from the oven.

Serving

Transfer to a serving platter, remove tart ring, and serve with chilled creme anglaise. It's okay if the center is runny when you cut into the tart.

Variation

Omit the raisins and bananas and add about ½ cup of fresh raspberries over the ganache before baking produces a very different, but excellent dessert.