Banana Rum Puffs Recipes

Steps:

• Put the sugar and 2 tbsps water in a heavy-based frying pan and allow to stand for 10 mins so that the sugar becomes saturated.
• Flatten the vanilla pod with the back of a large knife. Slit it open and scrape out the sticky seeds inside. Add these to the sugar pan. Heat the pan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves, swirling the pan occasionally to stop the sugar catching. Raise the heat and cook it to a dark golden brown.
• Cool for 30 secs and stir in about a third of the butter, then mix in the rum and the remaining butter, stirring the mixture to a smooth caramel. Pour into a heatproof jug,but don't chill or allow the caramel to set.
• On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry to a rectangle approximately 50 x 30 cm and the thickness of a £1 coin.
• Slice each banana lengthways keeping the halves as even as possible. Place each half rounded side up on the pastry and cut round the fruit, leaving a good 1cm border all the way round.
• Lift the bananas up, paint them with the egg yolk mixed together with 1 tsp water, then drape the pastry cut-outs over them, pressing the dough around the sides. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins. Divide caramel between 2 ovenproof frying pans or a shallow baking tin and swirl around the pan as you would a pancake. If the caramel is too thick, re-heat it slightly.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan180C /gas 6. Put tatins in the frying pans or baking tin, leaving a little space between each one. Cook the tatins for about 12-15 mins until the pastry is light golden brown and crisp. Remove the pans or tin from the oven and stand for a minute or so. Slide a long palette knife under each banana and carefully lift it up, then flip over onto a waiting dessert plate so the banana is showing.
• Brush over any caramelised pan juices and serve with a dusting of icing sugar and a dollop of crème fraîche, if using.

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Cut butter into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend together flour, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps of butter. Stir in sour cream with a fork until incorporated and form dough into a ball.
• Divide dough into 6 portions and form each piece into a 5-inch square. Chill dough, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 3 days, or freeze, wrapped well, up to 1 month.
• Make filling:
• Mash enough of bananas to measure 1 cup and in a bowl stir together with remaining filling ingredients until smooth.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 dough square (keep remaining dough chilled or frozen) into a 15- by 6-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick). With a sharp knife and a ruler cut rectangle into ten 3-inch squares. Lay squares over ungreased mini-muffin cups (2 cups will remain empty) and drop 1 heaping teaspoon filling onto center of squares. Bring all four corners of squares together and press gently to seal (filling will not be completely enclosed; this process will ease filled pastries into muffin cups). Chill filled pastries 30 minutes. Make more pastries in same manner.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bake pastries in batches in lower third of oven until pale golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool pastries in pans on racks 10 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. Pastries keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in airtight containers, and frozen, 2 weeks. Before serving, thaw puffs and reheat in one layer on a baking sheet in a 325°F oven 7 to 10 minutes. Cool puffs on a rack.
• Dust puffs with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon rum, water and cinnamon and stir until syrupy. Add bananas and cook 2 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with syrup. Using slotted spoon, transfer bananas to plate. Boil syrup until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 2 minutes. Pour syrup over bananas; let cool.
• Combine chocolate, cream and corn syrup in heavy small saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Transfer 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture to small bowl (Mixture will be thick). Add 2 tablespoons rum to mixture in saucepan; stir sauce to blend.
• Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 400°F. Place 1 pastry sheet on floured work surface. Set 9-inch-diameter tart pan upside down on pastry. Using knife, cut pastry into 9-inch-diameter scalloped round. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet. Place 1 pastry round on ungreased heavy large baking sheet; arrange 3 whole bananas on pastry, forming circle and leaving 1/2-inch pastry border. Fill in center with remaining bananas, cutting to fit. Pour any syrup from bananas and reserved 2 tablespoons chocolate mixture over bananas. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg. Top with second pastry round. Press edges to seal. Brush top with egg. Using small sharp knife, cut 8 vents in top of pastry to allow steam to escape. Freeze 10 minutes.
• Bake until pastry is golden and puffed, about 30 minutes. Run long knife under pastry to loosen. Cool on baking sheet on rack until just lukewarm, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Rewarm sauce over low heat. Serve pie with sauce.