David Lebovitz's blog has consistently high-quality informative posts and recipes. He's an American who lives in Paris, and gives some hilarious insights into life there (here are several). I know that one of these days I will get to Paris, and I will certainly bring notes gleaned from his writing - he's got bunches of information compiled on his FAQ page.
But he's also a professional chef who used to work here in the Bay Area, and has published several books on the subject. I may stay to read about Paris, but I came to his blog for the recipes!
Last night I made David's Banana & Chocolate Upside-down Cake to bring to a potluck & game night. Oh, it was a hit! It was pretty easy to make, gorgeous in presentation, and came off without a hitch. I deviated from his directions only slightly: he called for an 8x8 cake pan, but I don't have one. I did a little research and some math, and figured out that my 9 1/2 -inch pie pan would work well - it has a slightly larger surface area, but approximately similar volume. Since my pan is glass, I put it in the oven to melt the topping ingredients. I think they probably didn't get as carmelized as they would have if made on the stovetop, but a glass pan on the burner will explode.
Follow the link above to his recipe (or go here), but here's the basic overview:
Put brown sugar & butter in the baking pan, and melt it (in the oven if using glass, on a burner if using metal).
Cut up some bananas (I used two) and arrange them oh-so-artfully into the melted goodness (after it's cooled a bit):
In separate bowls, combine dry and wet ingredients, then mix together. The batter includes a cup of banana puree (two more bananas), plain yogurt, and chocolate chips. How can you go wrong?
Pour the batter carefully into the pan. It's pretty thick batter, so it was fairly simple to transfer it to the pie plate without moving the rings of banana.
Bake it. Remove it.
Hold your breath and gaze anxiously at it while waiting for it to cool. After about 20 minutes (19 if you're impatient!), carefully slide a knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan. Invert onto a plate or serving dish - I used a 10-inch tart pan, so it was a little wider than the circumference of the pie - perfect for transporting in the car!
I confess, I danced with glee when this popped out so smoothly, looking so amazing!
I will absolutely make this again. I liked that it used so many bananas (four in all), and so little butter (since I was down to my last tablespoons - how shocking - and it only used four!). Perhaps for just a LITTLE more decadence, I'll serve it with whipped cream that's got a little rum or whiskey in it. Doesn't that sound amazing?
that looks amazing! and hooray for it turning out when you inverted it. usually mine fall apart at that stage.
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