Banana Tarte Tatin

sexymommalucas's Note:

Excerpted from Michael Mina: The Cookbook by Michael Mina.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into chunks
• 6 firm bananas
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry , thawed

Egg wash

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water , beaten together

Directions:

1. To make the tart: Combine the sugar and water in a 10-inch ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat; it should look like wet sand. Cook without stirring until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize into a syrup, about 3 minutes. Once the sugar starts to liquefy, stir with a wooden spoon so it doesn’t burn. Continue to cook until the sugar begins to boil and takes on a medium amber color, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and carefully add the butter, stirring to melt. Set the pan aside so the caramel firms up slightly.
2. Preheat the oven to 475°F
3. Peel and slice the bananas crosswise into coins. Lay the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and roll it out slightly so it covers the pan, set a dinner plate on top of the pastry and cut around the outside rim to make a 10-inch circle.
4. Place the banana slices over the caramel in tight, concentric circles to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Cover the bananas with the disk of puff pastry and make 3 slits in the top to let the steam escape. Using a pastry brush, coat the top with egg wash. Transfer to the oven and bake until the pastry is puffed and golden and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and let the tart rest for 1 minute to settle. The pastry should have shrunken slightly and pulled away from the sides of the pan. Run a knife around the inside rim of the pan to make sure the tart will come out easily. Set a serving plate on top of the pan and quickly flip it over to invert the tart.
6. To Server: Cut the Banana Tarte Tatin into wedges. Top each serving with a drizzle of the reserved Maple Crème Anglaise and a scoop of Maple Sugar Ice Cream.