Banana Tart? Surprise!

I admitted that I was skeptical when I saw Helen's, the tartlette, post of this banana tartlettes. First, I am not fond of bananas. My brother grossed me out with it when I was little, and I have not yet recovered from it. Second, banana and frangipane just don't seem right together. But, I do trust Helen's baking instinct. And, kids and husband like banana stuff. And, I really like frangipane cream. And, most of all, I love going against the current, even when it is my own will. 

I basically followed her recipe. (Click on "banana tartlettes" for the link.) I will only record my changes here:

• I don't have 3" cake rings, so I used 8" cake ring. Half of her sable recipe is enough for the 8" tart, and I used it all. I baked the crust with the ring at 350F for 20 minutes, or watch for the golden color. I did prick the shell before baking. No pie weight is needed if the dough is chilled properly before baking.

• I used 65 g of almond and 65 g of hazel nuts. (I have a coffee grinder specifically designated to nut grinding. Works great when making frangipane or macarons.) The res ingredients were the same as hers. This 8" tart was baked longer than the 3" tartlettes, at 40 minutes or until golden brown. 

• I always have my own caramel sauce in hand, so I didn't use Helen's. Mine is basically the same as Rose Levy Beranbaum's. I will post it later.
  

Husband and I had the tart for dessert on Saturday. I only put sliced banana on his piece. He took the first bite while I waited anxiously for his comments. He nodded and quietly consumed another bite. That's it! I can't wait any longer, so I took one tiny bite myself, with banana. My eyes grew big and my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe how well the banana, nutty tart, caramel sauce, and the ice cream went together yet you could taste the individual character subtly. It brought a clean but not heavy sensation to the palette. I was much surprised that I didn't mind the banana at all! I have been making desserts for many years and have grew picky on tasting desserts, and I am very pleased by this one. Husband said, "this one has climbed quickly to the top of my favorite." I am thrilled because he is the toughest critic I have to go pass. 

Thanks again for Helen's creation! I am glad that I again challenged my own weak spot. The result is beyond victory. Ha!

A Friend to Grow Old With!

April and I have known each other for 22 years now. In all these years, we only had one year living in the same city. The rest of the time, we are separated by the Pacific Ocean. It's amazing how friendship works sometime. That one year bonded us through the time and distance. Words are not necessary or enough for all the stories and understanding between us. I hold her dearly to my heart.

I never baked anything in my life before coming to the United States. I didn't discover my passion for baking and cooking until then. And, it's all due to pure survival. I love food, and I love sweets, and I mostly love food from my home land. I couldn't find things close to that in US. You see, I had no choice than to make my own. April has always been into baking, among other creative things. I got a few starter's recipe books from a couple of lovely friends, then April became, and remains to be, my major mentor on my baking journey. We not only discuss baking together, but also enjoy eating food together whenever we have opportunities. One of my most favorite things to do when visiting home is to spend a day with her. And one of the highlights of our day is eating. You will not believe how much this little lady can eat. This time back in Taipei, I was again reminded and awed by her strength of eating. Come on, we are in our 40's, and I honestly can not believe that she can still put in so much food like she used to. Even back then, she ate much more than average girls, or maybe even guys. (This is a compliment for her. Trust me!) 

She complained that my schedule was too full. Well, the truth is that her schedule was not better than mine. We started our day with little precious caneles. I had heard so much about them before coming home. April has mastered making them. The crusty caramelized outside with the moist and soft inside made perfect harmony. Unfortunately, each copper cannele mold costs US$20. I will make sure to put ten of them on my Christmas wish list this year. 

Our first stop was Smith&Hsu, a tea and English scone place. The variety of tea selections was quite impressive.

We picked black caramel. Surprisingly, it was quite good. However, the scones were disappointing. They were doughy, more like biscuits to me than scones. The lemon curd that came with the scone was not bad, though.

Doesn't this place look like a fashion shop? Well, it's not. It's Salon De The de Joel Robuchon, Taipei. The color choice is something, but it's not for me. We carried out two pastries to try.

This is another famous bakery in the basement of this expensive department store

We finally found a place to sit down and shove in the two delicate pastries we got from Robuchon. 

This guy here was incredible. It's too complicated for me to describe it, but the layers of creations were impressively clear. I loved this one.

By now, I had been eating sweets after sweets. And it was close to 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I needed salty food. She took me to a small neighborhood noodle shop. There are many cozy eateries like this in the city. I love the ease and warmth this little place presents to their customers, something more than just food. The noodles and wonton soup hit the spot on a wet day for us.

More food? That's right! Remember? I was out with April! Honesty, all I could do at this point was to enjoy my coffee, have half of the tart, and give up! I could not possibly put anything more in my stomach!

One day was not enough! Not enough time to talk and not enough room in my stomach. Thankfully, I know there will be next time. I love my old friend and look forward to another 22 years to grow older with her. Thank you, my dear April. 

Home Sweet Home! Which one?

Remember the snow pictures in my last post? Well, we are back to it, after spending 3 weeks at my home land with the weather average 50-60 F above what we have here. We had a lot of raining and cloudy days while there, but it was bearable for us mid-westerners. We came back to the snowy landscape on New Year's Day. It was bittersweet for me, but it was definitely sweeter for husband and children. They were coming home, you see. As for me, the older I get, the more I long to go home, where I came from. 

I have been living in the mid-west for more than 20 years now. I never thought I would have settled here, but I am glad I did. I met my dear husband here.  And, it is a wonderful place to raise a family and a beautiful place in the summer and fall. Winter is too long, and spring can be messy. Husband loves the 4 seasons here, though. Kids love the snow. This time visiting Taiwan, I enjoyed it much more than the past. Kids are old enough to enjoy every minute with us. We don't have to drag diaper bags and stroller with us everywhere we go and worry about the sleeping pattern and schedules. It's just so much easier. We had a lot of fun. And of course, we had a lot of good food and enjoyed every bite of it. You can't find a place more convenient than Taipei to find all kinds of food. I will have to write another post about it. 

The most memorable thing we did this time was taking a trip to the east part of Taiwan. I have forgot the magnificent beauty of the coast, the gorges, and the rift valley. Or, I should say that I really didn't appreciate it so much until now. We will go back to visit HuaLien and TaiDong again.

Even on a cloudy and windy day, we were awed by the clean blue color of the Pacific water, ...

... and the wave was definitely worth chasing. 

After leaving HuaLien, we took the train heading south to TaiDong. These ladies were working hard in the early morning at one tea farm near our B&B picking the latest winter crop.

Guess what this is? It's passion fruit! We stopped at this vegetable and fruit farm on our second day in TaiDong while on a bike trail. The fresh picked passion fruit and strawberry were mouthwatering. 

Ran into workers harvesting bananas on our afternoon walk. They were so friendly and picked some yellow (ripe) bananas from the tree for us to try. We learned that bananas are picked while still green, then go through the ripening process in the warehouse before going to the markets. This drying process will turn the bananas yellow and enhance their flavors. Truly, the fresh picked ones they had us tried were not remarkably better than the store bought ones.

Look at this little girl, didn't want to follow us on the "normal" path then had to find an unusual way to come back. So typical of her. :)

I just can't get over with the awesome views of the coast line. 

There was the husband hanging on the lava rock. We had an adventurous day at this park. No damage occurred to the park (or the husband!)

After three short days, we packed our hearts with wonderful people and warm memories and headed back to Taipei on the train.