Foodiva's Kitchen: French Fridays With Dorie - Double Chocolate Nutella and Banana Tart

Friday, May 18, 2012

French Fridays With Dorie - Double Chocolate Nutella and Banana Tart


I don't have many interesting banana stories to share in relation to this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Double Chocolate and Banana Tart, but here are two. Growing up in the tropics, I was always exposed to many different varieties of bananas. Some, like plantains, are the size and length of my arms, while bananas like manzanos, are short, stubby and sweet. Some bananas are red-skinned, some are only good for boiling while others are better for making fritters and baking. When I went to Europe to study, however, I was amazed to discover that there was usually only one type of banana sold in the regular supermarkets there - the Chiquita banana. It didn't take me long to get sick of eating that particular banana and I then started craving for the different ones we could have at home.

Speaking of Chiquitas, my mother grows this variety in her garden and frequently refers to them as her 'Cannabis' bananas (I'm too scared to ask about her bohemian past!). Of course, what she actually means is 'Cavendish' which is really the same type of bananas that the global company, Chiquita, grows and exports. My mother has her own special way to deter the wild monkeys from stealing her beloved bananas while they're still ripening on the tree, which is to drape an inflatable plastic snake around the bananas. To date, the monkeys have stayed away so yes, it does seem to work!  

Spot the pumped-up slithery grey creature!

So why all this banana talk when this tart also contains nutella and chocolate? Shouldn't I be regaling you with sexy tales of chocolate instead? Aha, I'm trying to detract your attention away from the chocolate because mine here doesn't look very pretty. You see, by the time I had gotten round to baking and assembling the tart, it was already evening so I had to leave it the fridge overnight. Then when I took it out for the photoshoot the following day, the hot weather had made the chocolate 'sweat', making my job arranging the banana topping that bit more difficult. 

Here, look at these bananas!

I toyed with the idea of adding a layer of peanut butter somewhere in between the chocolate crust, nutella, caramelized bananas and chocolate ganache layers, but I decided there might be slightly too much going on already. So I left it as a four-layered tart and it was no less delicious, very rich and decadent...I would know because at the time of writing this post, I had eaten 4 slices all by myself. Plus, there is half a tart left and I can't possibly, ahem, let the banana topping go bad now, can I?



As a rule, our online cooking group doesn't post any of Dorie's recipe but you can find this one in her award-winning cookbook, Around My French Table. I also came across a published recipe of a better version of this tart than mine that you can refer to here. I'm sure the other members of this cooking group will be rocking their own versions of this scrumptious tart and to find out how they did it, click here


Have a fabulous weekend!


31 comments:

Ei said...

It's amazing what people do to try and keep critters away from their plants. My parents hung CDs from all the trees in their yard one year because on an annual basis, squirrels bite and then toss every single apricot on our tree while the fruit is still green. The CDs didn't deter the squirrels, but my mom kept them up because she liked the rainbows they threw around the yard. My neighbors think my parents are insane.

Glad you enjoyed your tart. If I ever have a monkey infestation, I'll keep the rubber snake in mind. :-)

Unknown said...

Ei, that story about your mom and the CD-strategy is so hilarious! LOL. You should write about that in one of your posts, especially when you're moving out and have to throw/give away some old CDs...I don't know, just link it to this story. It's just thoroughly entertaining, and no, your parents are NOT insane (my mom blows up plastic snakes for her garden, for heavens sakes!).

Laura (Tutti Dolci) said...

Nutella may be the only thing I love more than chocolate - what a delicious tart!

Andrea_TheKitchenLioness said...

Well Maya, what a funny story with the cannabis bananas! The picture to go with that story is even more hilarious! I loved it and so did my husband (I just had to show it to him).

Your Double Chocolate Banana Tart looks wonderful and delicious!

I really enjoyed reading your post today - as I always do, of course but it was extra funny today!

Unknown said...

Laura, I love both in equal measures so this tart is a complete winner as as far as I'm concerned! Next time, I'll play around a little with the fruit topping and filling...strawberries would be nice, I think :).

Unknown said...

Thank you Andrea :). I actually gasp every time my mom gets the name of the bananas wrong especially when there are visitors to our garden! But what's always strange is that the guests find the plastic snake funnier than the unintentional misnomer. It makes me think that probably there IS a cannabis banana being cultivated somewhere (I do know there is a cannabis banana bread recipe, lol)!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

That fake snake would keep my far, far away from your mom's bananas...cute story! Your tart looks just fine...in fact, a lot better than fine!!!! It's beautiful~

Cher Rockwell said...

Smiling.
The thought of cannabis bananas makes me think of monkeys with the munchies - which means they want more bananas. It's a vicious cycle...

Anonymous said...

What a fun post! I'm sure that based on your consumption of the tart, the little bit of "dewiness" on your tart really wasn't a problem.

I made the Nutella hazelnut version that we thought was pretty good.

Love the photo of the slice - showing all of those layers. So nice!

Nana said...

Can't even begin to tell you how hilarious that story is.
I just googled the type of container plants to use
for the 'damn" rabbits, before I get out hubby's pellet gun.
They little critters are so cute and so frustrating.
The story of various bananas is so interesting, and isn't it
amazing how we learn as we travel?
Your tart looks great and soooo delicious.

Gloria Baker said...

Look delicious!

Cakelaw said...

This was good, wasn't it - I don't think it suffered from its night in the fridge.

Gina said...

Loving the fake snake, I wonder if it would work to scare off unwanted house guests, he he. I love bananas, I always that Chiquata's were a brand, how silly of me huh. I hear you on the funk, it's not that I don't want to blog, I'm just finding so many other things I need to do so much more. Good for you getting back into exercise. I need to too. Your weekend is probably already over and I hope it was a good one.
-Gina-

Unknown said...

Gina, I think for the unwanted house guests, REAL snakes would work better and you know we have plenty of those at home as our pets too! :)

Lilly said...

Your mom is one smart lady! Having a plastic snake guard the bananas is just briljant!

So is your banana topping on your cake! Very pretty and give you a good excuse to eat it all before it turns brown =)

Vicki Bensinger said...

Maya how fortunate to have grown up with so many varieties of bananas. Many of them I'd never heard of especially the boiling kind. What a fun way to grow up as well with monkeys around. The only time I see them is at the zoo which makes me feel sad that they're caged up.

Your tart is beautiful and from the sound of it is incredibly tasty. Thanks for sharing!

Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts said...

What an amazing tart! I am a sucker for anything with Nutella in the name, that is for sure!

Love the blow up snake trick, I had to do a double take, looks real to me in the picture. I wouldn't go after your mom's bananas!

Lisa | Authentic Suburban Gourmet said...

Love how creative your Mom is with the plastic snake - brilliant! This tart looks and sounds amazing!

Maggie said...

I don't know what you're talking about - I think your tart looks beautiful! I would love to try all those different kinds of bananas. I've only had the Chiquitas and some very tiny mini bananas in Tahiti. Your mom seems like a very smart lady with her blow-up snake which actually looks pretty realistic to me :)

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Wow Maya! Your tart looks beautiful! The bananas look like a flower and look so pretty! That plastic snake looks pretty real... lol!

Trae C said...

OMG I thought that snake was real. My heart leapt out of my chest!

But how did you get those perfect banana slices? Did you use the Cavendish or another variety? And you arranged them just like Dorie did in the book. I'm so jealous. They look great!

Jean (Lemons and Anchovies) said...

This is my kind of dessert--Nutella and bananas together! So beautiful and so good, I'm sure!

tricia s. said...

Ok, seriously - that blow up snake scared me too :) Wow - I thought we had it tough because we had to deal with deer and rabbits. Wonder how they would react to the blow up snake.....but your tart looks fab. Too funny about trying to distract us with that banana shot (which did look lovely ). Well done and great story. Now I want a red banana.....

RecipeNewZ said...

This tart is gorgeous and perfectly timed with my recent Nutella obsession :-). Fabulous dessert! Thanks so much for sharing!

Tasty Trix said...

Hmmm, I guess I must be very closely related to wild monkeys because that snake photo sure scared me until I read that it was fake! lol. Your tart is lovely of course : )

Betsy said...

Your mom's fake snake cracked me up. Did you use exotic bananas instead of Chiquita Cavendish ones in your tart? Looks delish, Maya!

Jenny VintageSugarcube) said...

Your desserts are absoooolutely gorgeous (as always).. PS.. In your spare time, you should have a second website with posts from your breakfast!! HaHa. :)

Liren said...

All I can say is: I need a slice of this right now. This very second! Nutella and bananas are my favorite combination :)

Mary Bergfeld said...

What a wonderful dessert. I'm relatively new here and love to visit. Your photos are really great and I love the recipes you use. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Unknown said...

Jenny @Vintage Sugarcube, thanks for loving my quirky breakfasts. I really don't think or plan too much when I put them together. They're basically a mish-mash of stuff I have in my kitchen at the time. Someone suggested that I do a coffee table book of the breakfasts, but that will take time and resources, so a second website isn't a bad idea. Now, if only I can find the TIME to maintain another site, lol!

Kathy said...

That snake would keep me very far from your moms bananas and any other bananas growing close by…I hate snakes!! However your tart looks gorgeous! Funny post…beautiful tart!

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