BANANA CREAM TART WITH BROWN BUTTER GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST (easily adapted to be gluten-free)

Custard & Banana base:

• 2 cups half & half light cream

• 1 cup whole milk

• 2 eggs

• ¾ cup white sugar

• ½ cup cornstarch (see notes below)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 TBSP butter (salted or unsalted)

• 3 bananas, sliced

• Whipped topping (see notes below)

Brown Butter Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 - 8 oz. box of gluten free graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs

(or 2 cups regular graham cracker crumbs)

• 6 TBSP of butter (salted or unsalted)

Make the custard:

In a medium saucepan, combine the half & half cream, milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid lumps! Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, the 2 TBSP butter and mix well. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Make the Graham Cracker Crust:

In a small light colored saucepan (stainless steel or white cast iron) brown the 6 TBSP of the butter. Always use low heat and be patient. Stir constantly so as to not burn the butter! This will take about 5 - 8 minutes to reach a beautiful golden brown. Stir the warm butter into the crushed graham cracker crumbs and mix well.

Press the crumb base into the bottom of a tart pan (or pie pan) and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool before proceeding. If using a tart pan with removable bottom (like this one) I like to wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the pan to prevent the butter from leaking out and dripping into your oven. Trust me - I've had it happen and no one likes an oven that starts to smoke!

Finishing:

After the crust has cooled slightly, slice the bananas and add to the crust. You will want one layer. Top with the vanilla custard base and lightly tap the pan on the counter so that the custard settles nicely into the banana layer. Chill for at least 4 hours. After the tart has chilled and set up nicely, add a layer of whipped topping. If using the tart pan with the removable bottom, you can "remove" the tart from the base and put on a serving platter. Serve immediately. Tart is best when eaten within 2 days (good luck having it last that long!)

NOTES:

• If you are not gluten sensitive, you can sub ¼ cup flour & ¼ cup cornstarch to equal ½ cup. I do not recommend that you use ½ cup all flour as it alters the taste of the custand base.

• Feel free to use traditional graham crackers instead of gluten-free. You will need about 2 cups of crushed graham crackers for the crust. I put my graham crackers into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush the grahams into crumbs. Or take out your aggression and hit the plastic bag with a wooden spoon to make graham cracker crumbs. Whatever works for you!

• Here is a GREAT VIDEO on how to brown butter from one of my favorite bloggers:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-brown-butter/

• I prefer to use freshly whipped heavy cream. In a stand mixer or handheld mixer, whip together 1 pint of heavy cream, 1 TBSP of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Any leftover cream is excellent in coffee!

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