Friday, May 18, 2012

French Fridays with Dorie - Double Chocolate and Banana Tart




Today`s choice for the French Fridays with Dorie group is the Double Chocolate and Banana Tart. Yesterday was Fathers`  Day here as well as Ascension Day – so we all had the day off from school and from work. The decision on what to do on this beautiful sunny day was relatively quickly made – it took a lot less time than waiting for the Tart to cool and set up properly in the fridge. The Tart had to be firm enough so that I could take it along as a posh dessert for our picnic.




Finally, in the afternoon, we were all set to go (I knew that I should have prepared some of the tasks the day before). In order to make transportation easier, I prepared the Tart in a smaller tart pan with higher sides than the original recipe calls for but, otherwise, I followed the recipe as written by Dorie and inspired by the French chocolatier Christian Constant.




From the photos you might have seen that we did not have the picnic in our backyard. We had decided to visit the so-called “Landpartie” (“country outing”), a yearly four-day event where 120 exhibitors show off their artistic works and foods from around the country to about twenty thousand visitors (www.landpartie-adendorf.de). This event takes place at the Adendorf Castle which is a mere twenty minute drive from where we live.




The Adendorf Castle is a moated castle that was constructed between 1655 and 1670. It has been owned by the von  Loë family since 1829. The current owners, Georg Baron von Loë and his wife Gabriela Baroness von  Loë, are the sixth generation of this aristocratic family to live in the castle and for the last ten years have graciously agreed to welcome thousands of people to their “home” to enjoy a bit of the “castle life” for a few hours (www.burg-adendorf.de).




Once we all had a chance to admire the wonderful works and wares from the florists….




or the wine merchant…






or the broom-maker…




or the wood carver…




and have a long look at the colorful sculptures made out of glass…




or made out of metal…





And once we all had marveled at the wooden works of art…






and even at Huckleberry Finn catching a fish in the castle pond...




we could finally look for a quiet place away from all the visitors, unpack a sandwich or two and that Double Chocolate and Banana Tart. And I could ponder life in general and put together a first draft in my head of the blog post for the next day...




There is a lot of photos this time  - but I can honestly say that while taking all the pictures, I carefully carried the Tart around with me, I did not want to have it crumbling apart before being able to serve it. It is a recipe that I personally would not have chosen to make. But I did make it, it was not difficult at all. You just had to follow the instructions carefully and all of the ingredients required to prepare this tart were easy to find. All in all, it had a nice chocolatey crust and the banana flavor together with the chocolate flavor of the crust and the  dark chocolate ganache harmonized well.






To see how the other Doristas prepared the Double Chocolate Banana Tart and admire their works of art, please click here.







28 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful way to have a picnic. The photos of the castle are
    wonderful, and I'm sure the event was a great success. Your tart looks so delicious, and yes, it is quite simple to put together. Just takes a little time to assemble. Tricia and I did different versions, but we both had good luck
    with them.

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    1. Nana, nice weather and the day off from work and school were just the perfect reasons to organize a bit of a picnic there.

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  2. Your tart looks delicious! The deeper pan worked beautifully.

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    1. Guyla, I am a huge fan of differently shaped tart pans and I appreciate every excuse that I can muster up to use them.

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  3. What a fun picnic!
    I like the way it came out in the deeper pan. It looks like that allowed the caramelized banana layer to be more prominent.

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    1. Cher, I must admit I probably added a few more slices of bananas to the tart than the original recipe called for.

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  4. I love picnics…what a wonderful way to spend the day! Your tart came out incredibly gorgeous! Great photos! Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Kathy, picnics are always nice, I agree, and the kids are all just crazy about them.

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  5. Picnic in the castle grounds... that´s fun! Your tart came out incredible, tall and perfectly layered!

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    1. Thank you Paula, next time I think I will do a bit of a more "demure" post...

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  6. Yours is so tall and majestic!!! Perfect for the setting :)

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    1. Thank you Lizzy - was just easier to transport that way.

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  7. What a beautiful setting for a picnic! And, what a beautiful tart to have. You did an amazing job, it looks delicious!!

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    1. Thank you very much Beth - I guess the setting would make any type of food look good, it is so beautiful there and usually you can only visit the castle but once a year, I did not want to wait.

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  8. I just love that you take your desserts with you on your outings! What a beautiful backdrop for your tart. It looked like it held together very well. Beautiful job, as always, Andrea!

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    1. Thank you Elaine, it did seem to be a nice idea although my husband felt a little bit ill at ease with people around us ogling at the tart while I was taking pictures...oh, well...

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  9. Oh, how divine- I just love reading your blog & traveling vicariously on a beautiful European trip with castles & scrumptious foods!
    Bravo on a lovely post, once again!

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    1. Thank you so much - I cannot wait to read up on your "Wok" cooking project - I think I could not handle that right now.

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  10. So far, Andrea, my favorite Post about this week's recipe. First, I so appreciate the fact that you take advantage of every holiday and free day to go on an adventure, something your family will always remember. And, what an adventure. That you carried that tart around is very amusing and I am sure I speak for all Doristas who commend you for being so dedicated. Loved Huck Finn. I have to think that everyone who saw your family enjoying a double chocolate caramelized banana tart as part of your picnic lunch has to think you are the best Wife/Mom in Germany! I enjoyed the history lesson also.

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    1. Thank you Mary, you have no idea how much your comment means to me...it was a bit awkward carrying that tart around with me in that big red picnic bag and there were sooo many visitors around us that it turned out to be a bit difficult finding the right spot for a picture. Although I do not know what all those ladies and gents (a lot of them were sipping French Champagne from fancy Champagne fluts - I was drinking, what else, a paper cup filled with cappuccino) around me were thinking, I believe that it was along the lines of me being a bit of a weirdo...

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  11. My your tart looks beautiful, and what a wonderful setting to enjoy it! So happy that you had such a delightful day and enjoyed your tart so much!!

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    1. Thank you for your nice comment - it was wonderful weather, a nice country outing and the food was good - what more could we have asked for.

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  12. Hi Andrea! What a wonderful setting for a picnic. I love art shows too. I especially loved the darling wooden birds. Your posts always make me feel like I took a little outing to Germany. I'm sure your well-traveled tart was a sweet ending to your afternoon.

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    1. Thank you for your nice comment, Betsy. I always enjoy art shows too - especially the ones outside and we were very lucky weatherwise. That afternoon was wonderful and we are planning on going back next year - albeit with a different dessert, one that is easier to carry...

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  13. I love the look of the tart in the smaller pan with higher sides, it's gorgeous. It was so fun to look at the pictures of the castle and the artistic work. What a fun day for you all!

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    1. Thank you Jora - sometimes a picnic needs a fancy setting and that was just one of those times.

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  14. All I can say is wow! Your pictures are amazing, and I love the castle back drop for the tart, how cool is that! I like the higher sides tart, it gave really nice layers to the tart.

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    1. Thank you Erin, it was just a perfect day for that picnic.

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