Apple Banana Tart With Warm Maple Syrup Food

BANANA MAPLE TART TATIN

Steps:

• On a floured surface, roll the pastry out a bit to even out the any folds and make it a touch thinner. Cut a 10-inch circle of dough from it, prick it, and keep it chilled.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place a heavy 9 or 10-inch metal cake pan on the stove on a large burner and turn the heat onto medium. Add the butter and warm to melt it. Add the maple syrup and vanilla bean and bring to a boil stirring a bit. Remove the vanilla bean. Take the pan off the heat and place the banana slices in the pan decoratively in concentric circles to cover the whole bottom of the pan. Place the pastry over the bananas to cover them, tucking the pastry down along the inside of the pan. Later, during baking, the pastry will shrink to fit the pan.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Let cool in the pan 30 minutes then warm the bottom of the pan on the stove for a minute and turn the tart out onto a serving platter.

WARM MAPLE APPLE PUDDING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease 8 inch square baking dish.
• In a saucepan, bring apples and syrup to a boil; simmer for three minutes or until apple is softened.
• Add raisins and pour into baking dish.
• In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; cut in butter with a pastry blender to make fine crumbs.
• Beat egg, buttermilk and vanilla together in another bowl; pour over flour mixture and stir until just combined.
• Drop by large spoonfuls onto warm fruit.
• Bake 30 minutes or until top is golden and cake tester comes out clean.
• Serve warm.

MAPLE-GLAZED BREAKFAST APPLE TARTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir together cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
• Peel, halve, and core apples and cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a bowl toss apples with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• On a lightly floured surface roll 1 sheet puff pastry into a 15- by 11-inch rectangle. From a long side, cut four 1/3-inch-wide strips. From a short side, cut two 1/3-inch-wide strips. Set pastry strips aside. Halve lengthwise what remains of rectangle and put halves on a baking sheet.
• Just inside pastry rectangles' edges, brush 1/3-inch-wide borders of egg wash, reserving remaining egg wash. Arrange pastry strips on borders so that they are flush with edges of rectangles, trimming strips to fit. Spread cream-cheese mixture inside borders on rectangles and top with apples.
• On a lightly floured surface roll remaining puff-pastry sheet into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle and halve lengthwise. Cut several 2 1/2-inch diagonal slits down middle of each rectangle (do not cut within 1 inch of edges).
• Brush pastry borders of apple-topped tarts with some remaining egg wash and top each with 1 pastry rectangle. Press edges gently but firmly together to seal. Brush remaining egg wash over pastry tops and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake tarts in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
• In a small saucepan simmer maple syrup 10 minutes, or until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Brush hot syrup glaze over warm tarts. Serve tarts warm or at room temperature.