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s'mores banana cream tarts

S'mores Banana Cream Tarts

The Dessertivore
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Chilling Time 2 hrs 50 mins
Total Time 3 hrs 45 mins
Course Dessert
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

For the Graham Cookie Crust:

  • 1 cup crushed graham crackers (85 g)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 g)
  • 8 tbsp cold butter (113 g)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream (60 ml)

For the Pastry Cream:

  • 1 1/3 cup milk (315 ml)
  • 1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (24 g)
  • 2 whole eggs room temperature
  • 2 tbsp butter (28 g) room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Ganache:

  • 8 oz milk chocolate bar (like Lindt) (230 g)
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream (80 ml)

For Assembling:

  • 3 bananas
  • 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
  • 18 large marshmallows

Instructions
 

Graham Cookie Crust

  • First, crush the graham crackers in a food processor. Measure 1 cup of crumbs, and remove any extra from the food processor. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cream.
  • Add the flour to the food processer and pulse until the flour and graham cracker crumbs are combined. Then quickly cut the cold butter into large chunks and add to the food processor. Pulse until the butter is in small pieces, about 8-10 pulses.
  • Add the yolk and cream mixture to the food processor and pulse until the dough forms a large mass, about 8-10 more pulses. Then flatten the dough into a small rectangle and cover with plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
  • Measure your tart pans. Add the diameter of the pan and the height of both sides to get the diameter of the circles you will need to cut out. For my 4 inch tart pans, I cut out 6 inch circles.
  • Roll the crust dough until it is about 1/4 an inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or template to cut out the circles. If you run out of room, combine the scraps and roll them out again.
  • Press the crusts into the tart pans. If the crusts are hanging over, press the rolling pin over the pan edges to cut off the excess. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottoms of the crusts, then chill them for about 20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400° F (220° C.)
  • After the crusts have chilled, bake them for about 5 minutes at 425° F. Then lower the temperature to 350° F (180° C) and bake for another 5 minutes. If you are using pie weights, keep them in for about the first 7 minutes of baking, and then remove.
  • Allow the crusts to cool for about 20 minutes before removing them from the pans.

Pastry Cream

  • Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before making the pastry cream. Whisk them together in a medium bowl and set it near your stove. Cut the butter into a few small pieces and keep it and the vanilla extract nearby as well.
  • In a 2 qt saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, salt, and flour until they are well combined and free of lumps. Then begin cooking the mixture on low to medium heat. Cook until it begins to thicken, at about 150° F (65° C.)
  • Once the mixture has thickened somewhat, and is no higher than 150° F, add a small ladlefull to the eggs, whisking well after adding. Continue to add one ladlefull at a time, whisking after each addition, until most of the milk mixture had been moved to the bowl.
  • Briefly remove the saucepan from the heat to pour the milk and egg mixture back in, whisking well, then return it to medium-low heat. Cook until the pastry cream begins to thicken even more, which should happen at about 160° F (70° C.) When it reaches 170° F (77° C) turn off the heat. Do not allow it to reach 180° F (82° C.) While the pastry cream is still hot, add the butter, whisking slowly until it has completely melted, and then whisk in the vanilla extract.
  • Let the pastry cream cool to room temperature, then chill it in the refrigerator for about 1.5 hours.

Ganache

  • Combine the chocolate and cream in a double boiler or large bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, stirring continusly until the ganache is smooth. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before assembling the tarts.

Assembly

  • The first three components can be made beforehand and stored. The crusts can be stored at room temperature, and the pastry cream and ganache should be stored in the refrigerator. Store for up to 3-4 days. To reheat the ganache, you can microwave it in bursts of 15 seconds, stirring in between.
  • Just before assembling, chop the bananas and toss them with the lemon juice. Fill the crusts with the pastry cream, then add the ganache and bananas on top. Lastly, top the tarts with 3 large marshmallows each, and use a kitchen blowtorch toast them.