Tarte Tatin aux Pommes (Upside down Apple Pie)

 Tarte Tatin sounds like a fancy dessert, but really, it's just an upside down caramel apple tart. I made a simple tart shell using dough called pâte brisée. Instead of filling the shell though, I placed slices of apples that were cooked in a caramel sauce into the mold and then covered them with the tart shell. The tarts then went into the oven to cook the shell. 

You really should eat these treats almost as soon as they come out of the oven. To plate, just flip each mold and the apples will now be on top. If you wait too long, the caramel will harden and it will be difficult to unmold.  If you flip the tart out and let it sit, the crust will get soggy. This has never been a problem at my house because the smell of freshly baking apples always manages to gather the entire family in the kitchen.

Mango and Coconut Creme Caramel

Bananas Foster

This recipe could more accurately be described as bananas "faux-ster" because there's no ice cream or alcohol. I call it "safe" bananas foster because there's no fire hazard and it's kid-friendly.

Traditional bananas foster is served over vanilla ice cream, but it will work with just about anything. I made a caramel-rum sauce for this dish to pair with my panettone pudding. To repeat the flavors from the bread pudding, I used coconut cream instead of heavy cream. When the caramel was nice and hot, I added sliced ripe bananas to the pan. The bananas softened, absorbed the sweetness of the caramel, and were ready to serve.

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Salted caramel is a wonderfully complex flavor. When combined with hot chocolate, it provides plenty of stimulation for your taste buds. All of this is wrapped in a velvety blanket of milk and heavy cream that is perfect for relaxing away an evening.

Lya received three boxes of cocoa mix from her secret Santa at school. Everyone was so crazy about the salted cocoa mix that we ran out very fast. The girls asked if we could make our own from scratch. The result: a lot of fun and a delicious new recipe to ring in the New Year!

Peanut Butter Caramel Dip with Sliced Apples

Yesterday, I packed some grapes for the girls when packing their school lunches. I thought I would make something different today. I had a little leftover caramel au beurre salé from the weekend. It's a sweet caramel  sauce with salted butter. We drizzle it over ice cream. I decided to mix a little creamy peanut butter into the caramel, along with some raw honey that I just discovered at the local market.

Peanut butter caramel is a great dip with any fruit, drizzled over ice cream or even on celery. Enjoy!