Yummycrumby: September 2021

Looking for a memorable dessert you can serve for brunch! These mini banana tarts are perfect for all occasions. The crust are so fresh and tasty when they are homemade and the recipe is easy enough for beginners. We love them because they are easy to serve and easy to eat. Two bites and they are gone🥰

THIS RECIPE IS FOR YOU⬇️

LET’S PREPARE THE BANANA FILLING FIRST

You can prepare it a day ahead and keep it in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED ARE:

10 bananas

4-5 tablespoons of brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel 10 bananas and mashed them using a kitchen masher.
In a pot, on low heat, melt the sugar by stirring constantly with a wooden spatula until sugar dissolves. Do not caramelize sugar until dark as this will make your banana fillings taste bitter.

Gradually add the mashed banana and continue to cook on low heat. You will see some sugar crystals. But don’t worry they will dissolve on further cooking.

Continue to cook until the mixture changes color and becomes thicker (This process may take some time).
Remove from heat and add 2 tsp of cacao powder to the mixture and whisk until well-combined.

Set aside and allow to cool.

HOW TO MAKE THE TART CRUSTS?

INGREDIENTS:

500g All purpose flour

250g butter

2 egg yolks

100g icing sugar

1 tsp of vanilla essence

1 pinch of salt

2-3 tablespoons of water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place 500g all-purpose flour, 100g icing sugar and 1 pinch of salt into a bowl. Mix everything together.
Then add 250g cold butter and rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until you obtain a crumbly texture.

Add the 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp vanilla essence and 2-3 tbsp of water and knead everything together until the pastry holds together well.

Place dough in a cling film and allow to rest in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.

After 20-30 minutes take the dough out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for a few minutes.

Using a rolling pin, roll out ⅔ of the pastry into ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. (The remaining of the dough will be used to make the lattices)

Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and put them into moulds. Don’t forget to grease the mould with butter first.

Use a fork to prick the centre of the dough.

Fill tart with banana filling

Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into thin strips about ¼ inch wide and the length will depend on the size of the tart crust.

Form lattice pattern with the pastry strips like in the video
Brush tops with egg wash and cook in a preheated oven at 175°C for 25 mins or until golden brown.

THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL: In a cup, prepare 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of sugar. Mix well and brush the top of the tart with the sugar mixture 5 mins before the baking time is over. Then continue to bake until done.

Eat them warm with ice-cream or accompanied with a cup of coffee.😋

Note: This recipe will yield 34 banana tarts. The amount will depend on the size of the tart. We personally use very small aluminium tart moulds with diameter 5cm and height 2cm.

These mini tarts make a perfect afternoon tea treat. They are super delicious and crunchy. They can be filled with custards and garnished with coconut, cherries or any fruits of your choice. As they are small and super cute, they are perfect for parties.

HOW TO MAKE THE TART SHELLS?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED ARE

500g All purpose flour

250g butter

2 egg yolks

100g icing sugar

1 tsp of vanilla essence

1 pinch of salt

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

Place 500g all-purpose flour, 100g icing sugar and 1 pinch of salt into a bowl. Mix everything together.
Then add 250g cold butter and rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips until you obtain a crumbly texture.

Add the 2 egg yolks and vanilla essence and knead everything together until the pastry holds together well. Otherwise you can add a little more butter. But not much.

Place dough in a cling film and allow to rest in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.

After 20-30 minutes take the dough out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature for a few minutes and then using a rolling pin, roll the dough into ¼ inch thick.

Cut the dough with a cookie cutter and put them into the moulds. Don’t forget to grease the mould with butter first.

Use a fork to prick the base of the dough.

Cook for 15-20 mins at 175°C or until golden like in the picture. Do not overcook😊

Leave to cool

PASTRY CREAM RECIPE (CRÈME PATISSIÈRE)

INGREDIENTS

500ml milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

4 egg yolks

50g sugar

25g all purpose flour

25g cornflour.

INSTRUCTIONS

Add 500ml milk + 1 teaspoon vanilla essence into a pot and bring to boil by stirring occasionally using a wooden spatula to prevent milk from burning.
Meanwhile, in a bowl beat 4 egg yolks and 50g sugar using a whisk until mixture becomes pale yellow.
Then add 25g corn flour and 25g all purpose flour to the egg/sugar mixture and mix until well combined or until you obtain a smooth paste.
Once milk boils, remove pot from heat and pour milk gradually onto the egg mixture. Keep whisking so as not to cook the eggs.

Return mixture into the pot and continue to cook until mixture thickened (Don’t forget to whisk continuously)
Remove from heat, pour the cream into a bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to cool.

Before filling the tart shells, whip 200ml of heavy cream to soft peaks and mix it well to the cold pastry cream using a whisk to lighten the cream.
Then pour cream into a piping bag with star tips and fill the tart shells.

Please refer to our TikTok video for decoration ideas.

Finally sprinkle with dessicated coconut and decorate with cherries or jam

Hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee. The number of tarts obtained will depend on the size of your tarts. We have used small aluminium tart moulds with diameter 5cm and height 2cm. We love mini tarts and no one can resist himself or herself by seeing the cuteness of mini custard tarts with small cherries on them.