Banana Tarte Tatin

Ingredients

• 3/4 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. 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. 2

   Preheat the oven to 475°F

3. 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. 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. 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. 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.