This recipe was a hybrid of a few different tarts that I have in my baking arsenal but is mostly inspired by a recipe from Nick Malgieri of the same name. I made it many years ago in a class at the Institute of Culinary Education and a similar recipe appeared in his book The Modern Baker. What I love about the tart is you don’t need to fuss with arranging the fruit in a beautiful way. (Let’s be honest, cooked banana slices aren’t that pretty anyway!) The walnut frangipane filling covers them entirely, letting them soften into a dense and moist bite of flavor. The cinnamon whipped cream jazzes it up since there is no spice in the actual tart, though a scoop of vanilla (or cinnamon!) ice cream would pair just as nicely.

Makes one 9-inch tart, serves 8

Ingredients

Tart Dough

• 1 ¼ cups (163 grams) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons very cold water
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg yolk (18 grams)

Banana Walnut Filling

• 1 3/4 cups (75 grams) walnuts, divided
• 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons dark rum
• 2 large eggs (100 grams)
• 1/3 cup (43 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3 medium sized ripe bananas (354 grams)

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

• ½ cup (115 grams) cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Make the Tart Dough:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt and pulse once or twice to combine.
2. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the food processor, pulsing until the mixture looks like the coarse sand.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, vanilla and egg yolk and then add to the food processor, pulsing a few times until combined. The mixture should not ball up, so don’t over mix. It should look like wet sand and stay together when pressed together with your fingers after a few pulses. Using plastic wrap, form the dough into a disk and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into an 11-inch disk. Gently place it into the tart pan, careful to avoid overstretching, and press to fit along the bottom and fully up the sides. Trim off the excess and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Place the tart shell on a sheet pan and line the tart with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans.
6. Blind bake the tart for 20 minutes, then remove the parchment and pie weights and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the shell is golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly and reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F.

Make the Walnut Filling:

7. In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1¼ cups of the walnuts and the confectioners’ sugar and pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
8. Add the butter and pulse to combine to form a paste. Then add the rum and eggs, pulsing to combine.
9. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the flour, pulsing only a few times to combine and not overwork.

Assemble the Tart:

10. Slice the bananas into ½-inch thick pieces and line the bottom of the tart shell.
11. Pour the walnut filling over the bananas, covering them completely and evenly with a small offset spatula.
12. Coarsely chop the remaining ½ cup walnuts and sprinkle over the top of the tart. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the center is puffy and set and the tart is golden brown. Let the tart cool completely on a wire rack. Tart is best served the same day but will keep well for up to 3 days, refrigerated in plastic wrap.

Make the Whipped Cream:

13. Pour the heavy cream into a medium sized mixing bowl and whip on medium speed with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken.
14. Add the confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and continue to whip until medium peaks. Use immediately by dolloping on tart slices cut with a serrated knife.