A chocolate craving and too many bananas in the house. I decided to try out my new tartlet pans that had been sitting in the cupboard for months. They are so small, I doubted they would even hold a banana slice much less any pastry cream. I tested them out anyway and found that they do work. I just needed to use some melted chocolate as glue so the bananas wouldn't slide off.
Tartlet Dough (adapted from Cook and Be Merry http://cookandbemerry.com/mini-tartlet-shells-food-art-an-optical-illusion/)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. table salt
1/3 cup sugar
8 oz. cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and butter in a food processor or using a pastry cutter or two forks till the mixture is mealy. Whisk the egg and vanilla in a small bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and process or mix until the dough sticks together. Press it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold (approx. 1 hr. ) Line up tartlet tins or mini muffin pans on a baking sheet. Do not grease. Take dough out of fridge and using a melon baller, scoop balls of dough and fill tins. Use fingers to press dough to cover the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on wire rack. Unmold cookies from tins. When using mini muffin pans, I turn the cookies slightly to release before popping them out. When cool store in airtight containers until ready for use.
Chocolate Pastry Cream (adapted from the pastry cream recipe from the Baking at Home With the Culinary Institute of America cookbook)
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/8 cup sugar-divided (I lessened it a little to compensate for the sweetness of the chocolate and banana)
1 cup whole milk (divided)
2 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. rum
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Melt chopped chocolate in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, use a small metal bowl. Fill a small saucepan with water and set the metal bowl on top. Turn the stove to medium heat. When chocolate starts melting, stir it with a rubber scraper. Be sure not to get any water in the chocolate. Set aside.
Mix cornstarch with 1/8 cup sugar and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup milk. Add egg yolks and blend with wooden spoon until smooth.
Prepare an ice bath. Combine 3/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside.
Gradually whisk egg mixture into hot milk. Start with 1/3 first. When it is all combined, return the mixture to saucepan. Whisk in melted chocolate. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until it boils and thickens, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in rum and butter. Put saucepan in ice bath. Let it cool stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Store in fridge in a container until use up till 3 days. Be sure to press parchment paper onto the surface of the cream so skin does not form.
Assembling tarts:
Melt chocolate in a double boiler. This step is optional but chocolate is good for adhering bananas as well as keeping the cookie crust from getting soggy.
Fill pastry bag with large star tip with chocolate pastry cream.
Slice 2 large bananas.
Grate chocolate bar using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife.
Use a spoon or pastry brush to coat inside of tarts with melted chocolate. Place a banana slice on top. Pipe chocolate pastry cream on banana. Sprinkle with grated chocolate.
I thought these turned out rather well. I could still taste the freshness of the banana even with the dark chocolate. The crust was crumbly, the pastry cream smooth and chocolaty. I debated making a chocolate shortbread crust but that would be chocolate overkill. Whipped cream sounded good but would melt into a soggy puddle quickly. This was my updated version of a banana cream pie.
A few challenges I ran into were delicate crusts who's rims would break if you bump them and crusts were a bit thick toward the bottom of mini muffin tins opposed to the tartlet tins. Tartlets made with the tins didn't hold as much pastry cream. The pastry cream recipe is adapted from a regular vanilla one. You could take the cocoa powder and chocolate out and instead add vanilla bean and vanilla extract. I also added a little rum which I don't think you would notice. I didn't want to put too much and have the pastry cream become runny. To add more rum flavor, I would soak the bananas in rum but do not cook them or they will become mushy.
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