This months La Cucina Italiana magazine has a series of recipes on raspberries.  And a full-page picture of a raspberry and banana tart.

Now, I have no idea what makes a raspberry and banana tart Italian, but, after looking at the picture, I didn’t really care.  I wanted to make the tart.

So I did.

Either they’re growing their bananas smaller over there in Italy, or their 9 1/2 inch tart pans are bigger than ours, because I couldn’t get the same number of concentric circles, but it hardly mattered.  It was good!

Raspberry and Banana Tart

La Cucina Italiana Magazine

Ingredients

DOUGH

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into
  • small pieces, plus more for greasing pans
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

PASTRY CREAM AND TOPPING

  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 cup raspberries (about 5 ounces)

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with removable bottom

Instructions

FOR DOUGH: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and rub mixture between fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Make a well in center, add water and mix together to form a dough. Knead dough 3 to 4 times, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

FOR PASTRY CREAM AND TOPPING: In a bowl, vigorously whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat.

In a slow and steady stream, whisking constantly, add about 2 tablespoons hot milk to egg mixture, then, whisking, add remaining milk. Pour mixture back into saucepan, return to medium heat and, whisking constantly and vigorously, bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly and into the edges of the pot, until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and let stand for 5 minutes.

Transfer Pastry Cream to a clean bowl, immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming and chill until cold, about 1 hour. (Pastry Cream can be made up to 1 day ahead.)

Butter tart pan and dust with flour.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Fit dough into prepared tart pan, pressing into edges. Prick bottom of dough all over with fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400º with rack in middle.

Line tart pan with parchment paper, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are pale golden, about 10 minutes. Remove parchment and weights; continue to bake until bottom of crust is pale golden and edges are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Cool shell completely on wire rack.

Fill shell with pastry cream and spread evenly. Peel bananas and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Arrange banana pieces and raspberries in alternating concentric circles.

NOTE:  Finished tart can be refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic, for up to 1 hour.

It was just what I wanted.