It’s a good thing these company-worthy tarts are made in individual servings—no sharing required.
Caramelized Banana Custard Tarts
Makes 4
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2¼ cups crushed vanilla wafers
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
Filling:
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 small banana)
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 small banana, sliced ¼ inch thick
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 4 (4½-inch) cast-iron skillets with cooking spray.
- For crust: In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until well combined; divide mixture among prepared pans, pressing into bottom and up sides.
- Bake until crust is set, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
- For filling: In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks. In a small enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch oven, cook cream, brown sugar, mashed banana, vanilla bean, reserved vanilla bean seeds, and salt over medium heat, whisking frequently, until mixture just begins to bubble, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in butter until melted. Slowly whisk 1 cup hot cream mixture into egg yolks; whisk egg yolk mixture into cream mixture in Dutch oven. Discard vanilla bean.
- Place skillets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Divide yolk mixture among skillets.
- Bake until custard is set and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175°, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar onto tarts. Using a kitchen torch, carefully brown sugar. Let stand for 2 minutes. Place banana slices on a baking sheet; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Lightly brown bananas with a kitchen torch. Top tarts with banana slices. Serve immediately.
