Banana Tart

A rich buttery short crust latticed pastry combined with a soft caramelized banana filling that melts in the mouth. Irresistible!

For 8 persons

Ingredients 

1. 330 grams flour
2. 225 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
3. 1/2 cup milk for glazing
4. 10 ripe bananas
5. 4 teaspoon brown sugar
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Instructions

The Filling

1. Peel the bananas and mash them
2. Cook the mashed banana and sugar over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes and stir constantly
3. As the mixture changes colour and becomes thicker, add the vanilla essence and mix well
4. Remove and set aside

The Crust

1. In a bowl, combine the flour and butter, the mixture should form crumbs,
2. Add very little milk (2-3 teaspoons) to make the dough, do not overwork it
3. Take 2/3 of the remaining dough and flatten it evenly into a circle of around 13-14 inches in diameter
4. Put the flattened dough on the base of a pie mould (the one used in this recipe is 11 inches in diameter)
5. Fit the dough on the base and around the edges carefullyand cut off any excess
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes

The Lattice

1. In the meantime, flatten the remaining portion of the dough into a rectangle of about 11 inches in length and refrigerate this for 20 minutes
2. Cut 1cm wide strips from this rectangle, enough to make a nice lattice

Putting it Together

1. Preheat the oven to 150⁰C
2. Remove the pie mould and dough from the refrigerator and prick the base with a fork (make fine holes)
3. Add the bana filling and spread evenly
4. Arrange the strips over the filling in criss-cross pattern
5. Brush the lattice with milk
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the crust become light brown
7. Remove and allow to cool