Banana Puff Pastry Tarts

I have a strawberry hater in my house of which I won’t mention her name so I typically make desserts on Valentine’s Day that does not include that luscious fruit. All you need is a box of puff pastry sheets, 3 large bananas, chocolate syrup and some toasted chopped pecans. Since I always have powdered sugar, brown sugar and eggs on hand I don’t have to buy them every time I make this dessert. This recipe is delicious, elegant, and appeals to all those strawberry haters out there.

Banana Puff Pastry Tarts

1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (Pepperidge Farms)

3 bananas

6 Tablespoons of brown sugar

½ cup of toasted chopped pecans

Chocolate syrup

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water, for egg wash

Powdered sugar for dusting

Vanilla ice cream - optional

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a floured counter and carefully roll out until the folded seams are smooth. Take a pizza cutter and cut along the lines of the folds that you just rolled out. You should have 3 strips. Cut each strip in half. Place the 6 pieces on a sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet but don’t put them on the sheet pan yet. They are the tops to the tarts. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of brown sugar on each of the 6 pieces of pastry on the sheet pan, leaving a 1/2 “border. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped toasted pecan on top of the brown sugar. Place 6 slices of bananas (3 rows of 2) on each puff pastry piece. Brush the edges of the puff pastry pieces with the egg wash. Place the remaining puff pastry pieces on top of the bananas and stretch to seal the tarts all around, pressing down on the edges. Brush the tops of the tarts with the egg wash. Using a sharp knife make 2 slits on the top of each tart to allow the steam to escape. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Zigzag the chocolate syrup on each plate. Top the chocolate syrup with the banana tart. Dust with powdered sugar, top with 2 slices of bananas and chopped pecans. Serve warm. My daughter loves to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6