monkeys and ponies

IDK why I'm bothering to write down anything that vaguely approximates a recipe here, because of course I didn't measure a goddamned thing while I was working on these other than the crust elements. But anyway, if you too would like SHEER DELICIOUSNESS, I recommend these very highly:



It all started because I made this seis leches cake a couple weeks ago and had a lot of dulce de leche left over. (I couldn't find any at the store, FWIW, so if you too have the supply problems I did, I recommend Gourmet's method of making it with sweetened condensed milk in the oven.)

Anyway, I had maybe 3/4-1 cup of dulce de leche that needed to be eaten within a week or two, and that felt like enough for small tarts. So, for four 4" mini tart pans with removable bottoms:

1. Make half of King Arthur's almond tart crust, which will be enough to fill those tart pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.


2. When crusts are cool, carefully unmold them from the pans. (You may need a sharp knife to separate the crust from the tart pan bottom.)


3. Fill crusts with 3-4 tablespoons of dulce de leche.


4. I had two small bananas, each with some bad spots. By the time I cut those away, I had 24 1/4" thick slices of banana. Use more if you like more banana, it'll be fine.


5. Toss ... uh ... 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar into a pan? I sure as hell didn't measure it, but that's probably about what it was. (Light brown sugar would have worked fine, too.) Add 1-ish tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until butter and sugar have melted into caramelly deliciousness, 5-ish minutes. (It'll be bubbling liek whoa.)


6. Add bananas. Toss gently to coat, then let cook essentially undisturbed for a few minutes. Toss again, let them cook a couple more minutes until they start to look, well, well-coated, and a tiny bit soft.


7. BADASSERY TIME. Take the pan off the burner and pour in a tablespoon or so of dark rum. Then, if you have a gas stove like me, stand back, hold the pan at a distance, and tilt it back towards the burner until it ignites with a delightful FWOOMPH. Let cook for another minute or so until the alcohol burns off. (If you don't have a gas stove, use the longest match you have to light the alcohol.)


8. Sprinkle some cinnamon over the bananas, toss one last time to distribute it, and remove from heat.


9. When bananas are cool, arrange neatly on the tart however you like; I made tiny spirals. Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Final step, obviously: EAT and ENJOY. They are very sweet, though, so one at a time is plenty, IMO.