I have been bugging Bear to make me a banana cream pie ever since he started baking. But since he’s much more of a chocolate fan, it kept getting pushed to the back of the line. Until he found some lovely little tart dishes in a kitchen outlet store and needed an excuse to buy them.
I’m actually not an enormous meringue fan, but it is a nice little surprise with the banana filling and the whole thing becomes so creamy and delicious. It would be great just topped with whipped cream, but the meringue is just so impressive.
Banana Meringue Tart
Filling
4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 T lemon juice
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2 C half and half
1/2 tsp vanilla
Crust
3/4 C sugar
1 3/4 C butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 C bread flour
Meringue
4 large egg whites
2 T sugar
1 pinch cream of tarter
Start by making the shortbread dough for the crust by mixing all the ingredients except for the flour. Add the flour and mix until the dough is smooth. Roll out on a floured surface until the dough is about 1/8″ thick. Drape over the tart tin, press into the bottom, and trim off any extra. Dock the crust by poking a few fork holes along the bottom of the tart. Bake at 375 for ten minutes or until golden brown.
While the tart crust is baking, mix up the banana pudding filling. Toss the banana slices with the lemon juice to prevent browning. Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a large saucepan. Add the egg yolks and whisk together. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the pudding reaches 175 – 180 F, about five minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
Layer banana slices inside the tart crust and pour pudding over the top of it.
Make the meringue by whisking the egg whites and cream of tarter together until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and whisk until it forms hard peaks. Spread the meringue on top of the tart, making sure to cover the pudding completely. Bake at 400 F until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
This recipe made enough for 6 individual tarts, which means I let Bear take a couple to share at work and then I ate the rest for every meal. I especially like pie for breakfast. It’s fruit and bread, right? It fits.
