This was a throw-together improvisation that turned out really well. Next time I'll make all the components from scratch, but here's what I used this time:<br><br>
pre-made graham cracker crust tartlets (they come 6 to a pack)<br>
Jello banana pudding mix (not instant)<br>
2% milk (2 cups, as called for in the recipe)<br>
heavy whipping cream<br>
1 tbls of sugar<br>
semi-sweet chocolate (around 3 oz, I think)<br>
1 banana<br><br>
1. I put about 3 oz of really good chocolate (el Rey) into a microwave safe dish and heated it on 50% power until just barely melted, then mixed in about 2 tsp of heavy whipping cream to make it slightly ganache-like. (You could omit the cream if you wanted to.)<br><br>
2. I let it cool for a minute, then spooned the chocolate into the tartlets and spread it over the bottom and up the sides. Then they went into the fridge to set. In the meantime, I sliced a banana and put it into the oven to carmelize. Then left it on the cookie sheet to cool, after which I put a couple of slices in the bottom of each tartlet.<br><br>
3. I made the banana pudding from the basic recipe on the box. I poured it into a bowl, put plastic wrap on the top, and put it into the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.<br><br>
4. I made whipped cream (about a cup) with very little sugar to offset the cloying sweetness of jello pudding. I mixed it to barely firm peaks. Then I folded about a cup of whipped cream (remember that whipping it increased it's volume) into the pudding until it got to the desired consistency. (I was going for something in between pudding and mousse.)<br><br>
5. The banana pudding mixture then went into the tartlet shells. I then took the rest of the whipped cream and put a little bit on top of each tartlet, then back into the fridge to set for a couple of hours. (though you could eat immediately)<br><br>
Notes:<br>
This may look like a lot of steps but it's REALLY easy.<br>
It's so easy to make banana pudding and graham cracker crusts from scratch that I will definitely do it this way next time.<br>
This would make a very nice little dessert item for a party, like for New Year's Eve. You could make smaller tartlets in mini muffin tins for a big crowd. For a nice party, I'd put chocolate curls or shavings over the top.
pre-made graham cracker crust tartlets (they come 6 to a pack)<br>
Jello banana pudding mix (not instant)<br>
2% milk (2 cups, as called for in the recipe)<br>
heavy whipping cream<br>
1 tbls of sugar<br>
semi-sweet chocolate (around 3 oz, I think)<br>
1 banana<br><br>
1. I put about 3 oz of really good chocolate (el Rey) into a microwave safe dish and heated it on 50% power until just barely melted, then mixed in about 2 tsp of heavy whipping cream to make it slightly ganache-like. (You could omit the cream if you wanted to.)<br><br>
2. I let it cool for a minute, then spooned the chocolate into the tartlets and spread it over the bottom and up the sides. Then they went into the fridge to set. In the meantime, I sliced a banana and put it into the oven to carmelize. Then left it on the cookie sheet to cool, after which I put a couple of slices in the bottom of each tartlet.<br><br>
3. I made the banana pudding from the basic recipe on the box. I poured it into a bowl, put plastic wrap on the top, and put it into the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.<br><br>
4. I made whipped cream (about a cup) with very little sugar to offset the cloying sweetness of jello pudding. I mixed it to barely firm peaks. Then I folded about a cup of whipped cream (remember that whipping it increased it's volume) into the pudding until it got to the desired consistency. (I was going for something in between pudding and mousse.)<br><br>
5. The banana pudding mixture then went into the tartlet shells. I then took the rest of the whipped cream and put a little bit on top of each tartlet, then back into the fridge to set for a couple of hours. (though you could eat immediately)<br><br>
Notes:<br>
This may look like a lot of steps but it's REALLY easy.<br>
It's so easy to make banana pudding and graham cracker crusts from scratch that I will definitely do it this way next time.<br>
This would make a very nice little dessert item for a party, like for New Year's Eve. You could make smaller tartlets in mini muffin tins for a big crowd. For a nice party, I'd put chocolate curls or shavings over the top.
