Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

Still looking for that perfect Thanksgiving dessert? Here's one that I tested out in this year's search: Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart.

From Ms. Barefoot Contessa, a spiced graham cracker crust holds a custardy, pumpkin-banana filling. This can be made into one big tart or several little ones.

Only the crust is baked. The filling is simmered in a bowl over bubbling water until hot and thickened.

I chalk this one up as a great substitute for the same-old, same-old pumpkin pie. The banana flavor is definitely evident, but it pairs well with the pumpkin and added orange zest. It was a big hit in our house. I made a smaller tart (9-inch) for the teachers at school and made three little ones for us to sample at home (which my family thanked me for!)

You can get fancy with your whipped cream decorations or keep it simple with a layer on top.

This recipe can be found HERE.
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43 comments:

  1. Clumbsy CookieNovember 20, 2008 at 3:46 AM

    And the flavours must be really good too! Awesome idea girl!

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  2. JenniferNovember 20, 2008 at 3:57 AM

    I love that this is NO bake. I did a mix of banana and pumpkin in my oatmeal recently and was pleasantly surprised how wonderful the combo turned out to be!
    Your tart looks incredible :)

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  3. Culinary WannabeNovember 20, 2008 at 3:58 AM

    I never would have combined pumpkin and banana, but I always love the texture bananas give to anything. This is a nice twist!

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  4. RobinNovember 20, 2008 at 4:36 AM

    Whoa this looks fantastic. The pumpkin banana combo sound fantastic. Beautiful look tart!

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  5. MelitaNovember 20, 2008 at 4:44 AM

    Pumpkin and banana, sounds really good. Love new flavors, combos, and such! Looks great too!

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  6. ManggyNovember 20, 2008 at 4:56 AM

    Oh, I didn't know pumpkin and banana could work together! This is really unique and sounds delicious, Lori!

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  7. Mary ColemanNovember 20, 2008 at 5:07 AM

    i love this! makes me think of putting bananas and pumpkin together in a muffin...hmmm..you got me thinking at this hour!

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  8. AnonymousNovember 20, 2008 at 6:09 AM

    I've seen Ina make this, and I've wanted to try it ever since. Yours looks fantastic!

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  9. Katherine Roberts AucoinNovember 20, 2008 at 6:16 AM

    I can imagine how good tghe pumpkin and banana taste together and with the icing - totlal YUM.

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  10. ~~louise~~November 20, 2008 at 6:23 AM

    I'm not sure I can wait to share this recipe for Thanksgiving. I think I'll just grab this link for my Mickey Mouse post. His b-day was just the other day and I celebrated with Mousse!

    Thanks so much for posting this is GREAT!

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  11. MariaNovember 20, 2008 at 6:39 AM

    Looks so elegant and of course tasty! I like the pumpkin and banana idea!

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  12. Snooky doodleNovember 20, 2008 at 8:58 AM

    interesting recipe . Never seen a pumpkin and banan pie :) Looks nice and creamy though.

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  13. LeslieNovember 20, 2008 at 9:05 AM

    Banana and Pumpkin???? How perfect is that??? hmmmmmmmm

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  14. Ingrid_3BsNovember 20, 2008 at 9:23 AM

    Hmmm, I wouldn't have thought banana and pumpkin together but looks and sounds like ti works! Thanks for sharing it with us.
    ~ingrid

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  15. AnonymousNovember 20, 2008 at 9:35 AM

    Oh, I love the idea of the pumpkin and banana together. And simple is gooood. Yummy, thanks for sharing.

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  16. AnonymousNovember 20, 2008 at 9:45 AM

    Such an original flavour combination.
    Great job!

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  17. That GirlNovember 20, 2008 at 10:18 AM

    I was worried about the banana overpowering the pumpkin, glad to hear it doesn't.

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  18. HalieNovember 20, 2008 at 10:26 AM

    Looks luscious!

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  19. anudivyaNovember 20, 2008 at 10:52 AM

    What awesome flavors. Looks so pretty!

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  20. CookiePieNovember 20, 2008 at 11:46 AM

    Pumpkin and banana - what a great combo! Looks so pretty, too :)

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  21. ReeniNovember 20, 2008 at 11:53 AM

    This looks really terrific. I bet those bananas really freshened up the pumpkin flavor.

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  22. Jessy and her dog WinnieNovember 20, 2008 at 12:16 PM

    That looks awesome!

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  23. pamNovember 20, 2008 at 12:23 PM

    Pumpkin and banana, what a great combination!

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  24. AnonymousNovember 20, 2008 at 1:38 PM

    I LOOOOOOOVE your blog! Everything on here looks so incredibly delicious!

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  25. Dana FallentineNovember 20, 2008 at 2:16 PM

    This looks fabulous!!!!

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  26. AnonymousNovember 20, 2008 at 4:09 PM

    omg!! this looks sooooooooooooooo good! and its pretty! love the combo of pumpkin and banana!

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  27. CakespyNovember 20, 2008 at 4:45 PM

    Ooh, and unlikely--but VERY delicious-looking--combination! i've got to give this one a try. It looks amazing!

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  28. AdamNovember 20, 2008 at 4:59 PM

    Beautiful pic... I wish all my pies looked like that :) I'm always up for a new way to invent pumpkin pie, this is a sweet idea!

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  29. HeatherNovember 20, 2008 at 5:29 PM

    i love the flavor combo! sounds delicious!!

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  30. JosieNovember 20, 2008 at 5:49 PM

    Yay!! I am glad you liked it :)

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  31. BunnyNovember 20, 2008 at 6:37 PM

    Now that's a new combination, pumpkin and banana, well new to me anyway. Good one!!

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  32. We Are Not MarthaNovember 20, 2008 at 6:44 PM

    I definitely do not need any more Thanksgiving recipes, but I will be making this at another time!! So sad pumpkin season is almost over :(

    Sues

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  33. AnonymousNovember 21, 2008 at 12:06 AM

    Hey this is cool and different. I would have never thought to pair pumpkin and banana and no bake...that's even better.

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  34. Nina TimmNovember 21, 2008 at 1:42 AM

    Fall or not, I would love to try a slice of this!

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  35. LizNoVeggieGirlNovember 21, 2008 at 4:27 AM

    Oh my, faaabulous!! And I love Ina Garten :-D

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  36. graceNovember 21, 2008 at 5:30 AM

    i love the contrast of the bright white and dark orange--it makes for a beautiful tart, to be sure. interesting combo--i personally think that bananas are magical ingredients that put a nice spin on whatever they're paired with. :)

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  37. JonNovember 21, 2008 at 9:11 AM

    Holy Heck, that banana pumpkin mousse sounds delicious.

    Pardon my language.

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  38. jesseNovember 21, 2008 at 9:56 AM

    Beautiful, beautiful pie! And I love your pictures too... *sigh* I want a bite now.

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  39. AbbyNovember 21, 2008 at 12:48 PM

    Yum! Nice to see a different take on pumpkin pie!

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  40. Tarah at Genesis of a CookNovember 22, 2008 at 5:58 AM

    Oh wow! I love the combination! It sounds amazing, but I bet it taste better than can be described. I'll have to try this ;]

    Beautiful photos!

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  41. DeborahNovember 22, 2008 at 9:37 AM

    This sounds delicious - and so different!!

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  42. AlexaNovember 22, 2008 at 6:12 PM

    I wouldn't have thought about putting the banana with pumpkin but I bet it adds to the creamy texture. Sounds intriguing!

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  43. Peter MNovember 26, 2008 at 2:49 AM

    This looks beautiful and the only thing I can think of adding is some toasted coconut on the frosting - nothing more!

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Thanks for hanging out here! Your feedback is much appreciated :)