Yawning banana tart tatin

What a week. I haven't been this tired in ages. It was parents evening at school and, as the teacher not the parent, it made for a long week. It is always interesting to see how the children are at home as well as at school and some uncanny resemblances of children to parents.

This weeks creation was an untraditional banana tart tatin. I have never made a traditional apple one but went in at the deep end. This is a Gordon Ramsey masterpiece and turned out to be quite nice. He does some very good dinner recipes but this is the third of the dessert options I have tried after his fridge cake (a winner at Christmas) and a classic pineapple upside down cake. The real reason for trying this dish was the excuse of using my new oven proof frying pans. They are amazing! One was filled with dessert and the other fried then roasted some salmon - the best I have ever tasted.

Ingredients: -
50g Softened butter
1 vanilla pod (I actually cheated and used vanilla essence)
1/2 tsp balck peppercorns
100g caster sugar
6 ripe bananas
320g ready rolled shop[ bought puff pastry (had to be done)

The actions: -
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Spread butter across the base of an oven proof frying pan. Add the vanilla pod / essence and a third of the peppercorns. Then sprinkle with sugar.
3. Peel and cut the bananas into 3-4cm thick slices (this is quite tricky to get them the same as they are curved). Put them cut side down on the frying pan. Sprinkle over another third of the peppercorns.
4. Unroll the cheats pastry and cut out a circle larger than the pan. Drape the pastry over the top and tuck in the edges using the back of a spoon. Pierce the pastry a few times (this is important to get the steam out so you don't end up with a soggy bottom).

5. Place the pan over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking gently, then transfer to the oven for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out onto a plate sprinkle with the last of the peppercorns.

As lightly strange banana texture but somehow it works and is sweet, sticky and has a variety of textures. Delicious with warm custard. please note that this should be eaten on the day and not left for the next day (banana disaster).

Now for some TV zombying in my tired state. I am into gossip girl at the moment, completely trashy for a 30 year old to be watching but I love it. Weekends usually mean a new food discovery so I'm excited to try a new London restaurant tomorrow (new to me anyway) with some uni friends... photos pending...