Serves 4 to 6
This galette tastes exactly like Bananas Foster—the iconic flambéed dessert infused with rum, butter, and cinnamon—but all wrapped up in a perfectly flaky pie crust. The bananas become almost custard-like in the oven and the gooey medjool dates add a brown sugar-like sweetness. Serve this rustic pie slightly warm with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream on top and you will be in heaven.
Ingredients:
Crust
- 1⅓ cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 Tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Kosher salt
- 3 slightly under-ripe bananas, peeled and sliced ½-inch thick on the bias
- 10 Rancho Meladuco Medjool dates, pitted and sliced into coins (about 1 cup; see Note)
- 2 Tablespoons dark rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heavy cream or 1 beaten egg, for brushing
- Demerara sugar, for dusting (optional)
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Make the Crust In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt until combined. Scatter the cubed butter over the top and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Drizzle the ice water over the flour and pulse until the dough comes together and clumps when you press it between your fingers. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather the dough and shape it into a flat rectangle. Fold the dough over itself, then flatten it again. Repeat this process 2 to 3 more times. Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least four hours.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the galette dough from the refrigerator and let it soften slightly. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and then roll out the dough into a rough 12- to 14-inch circle, about ¼-inch thick. Transfer the crust to the prepared baking sheet.
Make the Filling In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately-high heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is beginning to bubble, about 1 minute. Stir in the rum and vanilla extract and cook until the mixture is beginning to thicken, about 30 seconds. Add the sliced bananas and dates and cook undisturbed until the bananas are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool slightly.
Mound the filling in the center of the galette, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the edges of the dough up over the filling, overlapping in soft folds. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar, if using.
Bake the galette at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and let cool. Serve the galette warm or at room temperature and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
NOTE To cut your dates into coins, remove the pit from the top of the date with pliers or strong tweezers. Check out the Rancho Meladuco Instagram page for a quick video tutorial on how to do this.
Recipe & Photos: Julia Heffelfinger @juliaheff