Tarte banane-réglisse

( Liquorice and banana tart )

For some unknown reason, liquorice is not as popular now as it was in the 1970s, when everything smelt of liquorice or was flavoured with it, from my toothpaste to the smell of pipe tobacco. Back then, one of the cheapest sweets available was a small piece of root from the liquorice tree. It looked like a thin, brown stick and it gave me a slight buzz when I chewed on it — I thought this made me look very rugged, just like Clint Eastwood did in the movie A Fistful of Dollars. Nowadays, however, I like liquorice for its versatility and complexity of flavour. It’s slightly peppery yet sweet enough, and adds an amazing depth of flavour to both savoury and sweet dishes.

Serves 8–10

300 g (10½ oz) Pâte Sablée

5 large bananas

juice of 1 lemon

100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter

60 g (2¼ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

Liquorice custard

250 ml (9 fl oz) full-cream milk

250 ml (9 fl oz) whipping cream (35% fat)

80 g (2³/₄ oz) soft liquorice, thinly sliced

40 g (1½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

25 g (1 oz) maize cornflour (cornstarch)

3 eggs

L To make the liquorice custard, put the milk and cream in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the liquorice, then remove from the heat, cover and set aside until the liquorice is fully dissolved. Alternatively, you can speed up the process by using a stick blender. When cooled to room temperature, transfer to a medium bowl. Combine the sugar and cornflour in a small bowl, then add to the cooled cream mixture and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs and whisk until well combined, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and refrigerate.

L You will need a 25 cm (10 in) tart ring or tart tin with a removable base. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface until 4 mm (¹/₈ in) thick, dusting with a little extra flour if necessary to stop the dough from sticking. Line the base and side of the tin with the pastry, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line the pastry shell with foil, then fill to the top with uncooked rice or baking beads. Blind bake for 20 minutes, or until the base is golden. Remove the rice and foil, then set the tart shell aside until cool.

L Cut the bananas into 5 mm (¼ in) slices and toss in a bowl with the lemon juice to stop them browning. Melt the butter and sugar in a frying pan over high heat. Shake the pan until the sugar caramelises to a light golden brown, then add the banana mixture and toss to combine. Do not stir the bananas; instead, hold the handle of the pan with both hands and toss the bananas occasionally until golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

L Place the caramelised banana slices over the base of tart shell, arranging them in a circular pattern, starting on the outside edge of the shell and tightly overlapping each slice with another until you reach the starting point. Continue in this manner, working in circles until you reach the middle of the tart.

L To avoid spillage, place the tart shell on a baking tray and place in the oven. Slowly pour the filling over the bananas, stopping just below the top. Don’t overfill the tart shell, as the pastry may shrink a little during baking and the filling will run over the side of the shell, causing it to become soggy underneath. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling wobbles slightly when the tart is gently shaken. Cool to room temperature before serving.