French Friday with Dorie
This recipe has all the ingredients for a perfect dessert. Chocolate and bananas and more chocolate...and more bananas. So I am still left wondering why this wasn't a hit with us. It started out well with Dorie's wonderful sweet tart dough made with some unsweetened cocoa powder. So far, so good. Next, I made the caramelized bananas which turned out pretty well.
Some were more caramelized than others, but they tasted good. I spread a thin layer of nutella on the bottom of the tart shell that was Dorie's Bonne Idée. The caramelized bananas were then spread over the nutella followed by a layer of chocolate ganache. The next step was where I think the recipe went wrong for me. Sprinkling lemon juice over the sliced bananas to keep them from turning black and then spreading an apricot glaze over the bananas once they were arranged on the top of the tart probably was what kept our taste buds guessing what the strong flavor was that none of us could put our finger on.
We never did figure out what it was, but perhaps I put too much lemon juice on the bananas and mixed with the apricot glaze created a really strong flavor. The components of this tart eaten separately was delicious. The sum of the parts of this tart just fell short of a good dessert. I really wanted to like this, but even after having a second piece the following day, it just tasted okay to me - not bad, not great - just okay. Was it the bananas we didn't like with it? Who knows? But I think I would have preferred it just as a double chocolate tart.
I am guessing that I am in the minority this week and that the rest of the group fared much better with this tart than I did and hopefully got better reviews with their families. Check out their links over at French Friday with Dorie.
It looks beautiful, but sometimes the individual components work better than the finished product. Although I like bananas on their own, I struggle to find a recipe I like them in. I'm sorry this isn't the one!
ReplyDeleteI think you figured out exactly what went wrong. My daughter and I were very hesitate about the lemon juice too. We put a little juice with the bananas and mixed them together in a bowl before putting the bananas on top of the tart.
ReplyDeleteYour tart looks good but I know what you're talking about with the lemon juice. I used the bananas as a garnish and it was enough.
ReplyDeleteOh well. We really liked the taste of this one, but the baker was not such a fan of all the time needed to put the darn thing together.
ReplyDeleteElaine, Sorry you were less then thrilled with this tart. It really looks beautiful! I enjoyed this, but then I’m a chocoholic…and I also forgot the lemon juice on my bananas! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteElaine, your Double Chocolate Nutella Banana Tart does look delicious though - but I can tell you that this was the first tart that I have made that my husband did not like. Well, the kids liked it (made it without the Nutella though) and I decided that I will move on to other recipes.
ReplyDeleteStill liked all your photos and it is nice to read different "reviews" of the same recipe. I am glad it will be a savory recipe next Friday.
Enjoy your weekend!
I bet it was the lemon juice...I think there is a fine line between just enough and too much! My hubby and oldest liked this one, but the youngest chocoholic did not. It did make a beautiful presentation...and I like the sprinkling of nuts on yours. We have come a long way since our first week of posting,haven't we? Enjoy your weekend, my friend~
ReplyDeleteIt looks lovely - sorry it wasn't a hit for you.
ReplyDeleteThis wasn't one of my favorites - but I attribute that to my not being a huge banana/ chocolate fan.
Have a super weekend.
Hmm, well, I do like your addition of nuts. Great post, regardless!
ReplyDeleteit looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the bananas on top. I love chocolate and banana together but something about those bananas just didn't work. Yours looks really good though!
ReplyDeleteYour tart looks pretty Elaine, even though it was not a hit. I enjoyed it, but it got wasted at work, so perhaps was not a hit with them either.
ReplyDeleteI'm agreeing with your thinking on this one. I'm interested to see what you think about the "Baked" pie. Personally I liked the bananas in OJ better than with lemon, and I felt like I could sit down and eat a giant slice of the "Baked" pie which is not as elegant or decadent as Dorie's tart, but I really liked all the great flavors which I thought came together better. It is actually decadent in its own right and just as much a showstopper dessert, but there is something royal about a chocolate ganache tart and with all these extra layers...should have been better. There was something almost bitter to me in Dorie's...I was thinking it came from the caramelized sugar and also with that lemon? But, the more I ate the more I liked it...I guess it was not what I expected. Your tart is actually very beautiful, but I'm reading lots of similar comments from the group...this tart misses the mark.
ReplyDeleteYour tart does look beautiful! Sorry you guys didn't like this one. I also dunk my sliced bananas in lemon juice and then lay them on paper towels to absorb the excess juice. Seems to help remove the lemon twang!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it didn't work out as you expected!! It still looks good!
ReplyDeleteYou pegged it perfectly; something did not dance well with the choc. & bananas- it had to be the lemon, as there is nothing else in there to interfere. Your tarts are lovely!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous tart - I'm salivating right now! ^^
ReplyDeleteI think your tart looks great! I did the Nutella hazelnut version. The caramelized bananas sound great. I wonder if it would be good to just stop there, without the fresh ones on top??? Maybe next time!
ReplyDeleteI think your tart looks great, Elaine. I don't think it was you - we didn't care for the fresh bananas, either - in fact, I took them off & enjoyed the tart much better without them. I would love this with berries.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Now your tart looked delicious, Elaine, and you are not the Lone Ranger regarding the topping. Although I used lemon juice on all the sliced bananas, I used it sparingly. But, I also didn't put much glaze on it. Chocolate needs to stand alone sometimes. A banana here, a banana there but, you're right, too many flavors. Still, I'll do this tart again with other fruits. Won't you?
ReplyDeleteIt does sound like a winning combo. I am sorry you did not like it.
ReplyDeleteI liked it more than I expected. The caramelized bananas were my favorite part. I would have liked more in the tart. Sorry this wasn't your favorite. There's always next week... Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the apricot jam myself because I didn't strain it like Dorie called for. I got the recipe in just under the wire and was looking for shortcuts whereever I could find them. My guys said they liked it as well as Nana's nutella version....but they are not too picky:) I sent the leftovers to school so I would not eat it all myself. Even though you guys were not over the moon with this one, your photos of the results still had it looking pretty spectacular !!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed a very strong lemon flavor - I was sure I had just made a mistake. I still liked the tart, though, it's really hard to ruin chocolate and bananas for me. I'm sorry you didn't like this one better, yours really did come out looking beautiful.
ReplyDelete