Caramelised Banana Tart

I've been feeling very uninspired recently, probably a mix of being ill multiple times (seriously though, I've never been this ill AND it came back, again and again...just wonderful) and that the weather has been bloody freezing here! 

These times call for desperate measures in the name of ultimate sweet treat comfort foods. Oh yes. This caramelised banana tart turned out to be a bit of an experiment but boy, did it turn out good!! It looks fancy and impressive, though it's really not that hard.

A sweet pastry case filled with a layer of a sponge-like mix, akin to that of frangipane, minus the almond flavour and replaced with sweet vanilla. Then, a fanned layer of banana slices, sprinkled with a generous amount of sugar which is then browned to caramelised perfection under the grill. If you don't have a grill, a blow torch would also work well here. 
The recipe is adapted from The Metropolitan Bakery switching up quite a few components. They claim that theirs is better served immediately, but fortunately I found this to be a lie because mine lasted fine for days, stored in the fridge. I recommend that you heat it up again, served with ice cream of course. 

Caramelised  Banana  Tart

Ingredients:

For the Pastry: 190g (1 + ⅔ cup) plain flour 110g (⅓ cup + 2tbsp) butter, cold and cubed 1 small egg 45g (3 tbsp) caster sugar     For the Filling: 2tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 60ml (¼ cup heavy cream) double cream 1 large egg 70g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) soft light brown sugar 2 tbsp self-raising flour
For the top: 3 bananas ½ lemon 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar

Method

To make the pastry, in a bowl rub the flour into the butter to achieve a breadcrumb consistency. In a separate small bowl whisk the egg and sugar together. Add to the flour mixture, bit by bit, until you form a dough which sticks together. You may not need all the egg depending on the size. Cover the dough in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. 
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Once the dough has chilled, roll out onto a floured work surface so it is big enough to line a tart tin. Place the pastry into the tin, pressing down lightly on the sides and cut off any excess overhanging, but it will trimmed again after baking. Prick the base with a fork all over and blind bake with parchment paper filled with baking beans/rice/pasta. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, then bake for a further 5 minutes. Trim around the edges with a serrated knife to make it level. 
Meanwhile to make the filling, melt the butter with vanilla in a small saucepan and cook until the butter bubbles and turns a dark golden brown, swirling the pan gently to cook evenly. Cool slightly then whisk together in a bowl with the the cream, egg, sugar, and flour. Spread the filling over the bottom of the prebaked tart shell and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the filling is just set. Remove tart from the oven and cool on a rack.
Put the grill (broiler) on a medium heat setting to warm up. Peel the bananas and slice crosswise into thin slices. Arrange the slices over the tart in an overlapping circular pattern. Brush the banana slices lightly with lemon juice. Sprinkle the bananas evenly with sugar. Place the tart under the grill (broiler) and cook until the sugar caramelises, turning now and then to make sure it browns evenly. Turn down the heat if it starts to overcook the pastry edge. Remove tart from the grill and cool on a rack. Remove the tart tin.