Recently in Pies and Tarts

Banana’s Foster Cream Pie

Photos and Recipe Reprinted with Permission by

www.evilshenanigans.com

This is such a smart recipe.  Take a classic dessert like Bananas Foster and turn it into a creme pie.  The writers of www.evilshenanigans.com came up with this on a whim and I bet it will become a classic of its own.

Here is the recipe, in her own words:

Yield 1-9″ Pie

Ingredients:

Crust: 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Caramel Sauce: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed 2 tablespoons cream 2 tablespoons dark rum

Filling: 2-3 bananas sliced 2 1/2 cups milk, 2% or higher 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon all-spice 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Topping: 2 cups heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon dry gelatin 1 tablespoon water, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons sugar Cinnamon for dusting

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Method:

In a bowl mix the brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until well mixed.  Pour into a 9″ pie plate and press it evenly into the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool while you prepare the caramel.

In a small skillet melt the butter and brown sugar over medium low heat.  Allow it to come to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 30 seconds.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream and rum.  Allow to cool slightly.

Slice two to three bananas and layer the slices on the bottom of the pie crust.

Pour the caramel evenly over the bananas.  Allow to cool at room temperature while you prepare the custard.

In a heavy saucepan combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, vanilla bean paste, and spices.  Pour over the milk and mix well.  In a separate bowl mix the eggs and egg yolk well.  Pour it into the milk mixture and whisk until well combined.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer.  Cook for 30 seconds then remove from heat.

Strain the mixture into a large bowl, then whisk in the butter.

Pour the custard over the bananas and caramel.  Cover with plastic wrap, making sure it is pressed directly against the custard to prevent a skin from forming.   Chill for at least four hours, but overnight is better.

To finish the pie mix the dry gelatin with the water in a small microwave save bowl.  Allow to bloom for two minutes.  Once bloomed, heat in the microwave for 10 seconds.  Stir and allow to come to room temperature.

In a large bowl add the cream.  Mix on medium speed until it begins to develop large bubbles.  Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium high.  Add the sugar and the cooled gelatin.  Increase the speed to high and beat until it thickens and holds soft peaks.  Spread the cream over the cooled pie and dust with cinnamon.  Chill for thirty minutes before slicing and serving.

I did get this shot of the last slice in the pan, from across the room, before my brother ate it.

Livin' Lime is a wonderful company dedicated to living life to it's fullest.  To quote their website . . . "Life is not simple.  We believe life is like a lime.  With each bite, it can be tangy, sour or sweet. " Visit www.livinlime.com and you read their daily reflections or order wonderfully cheery and comfortable apparel and accessories.

The owners of the company and I went to the same private school in Northern California.  During an email conversation, they claimed they had the best tasting lime pie recipe ever and graciously let me post it here.... I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe and photos reprinted with permission from http://www.livinlime.com/

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 12 full size graham crackers
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar

Filling:

• 4-5 extra large egg yolks
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• Juice from 3-4 limes (1/4 to 1/3 cup
• Grated zest from 2 limes
• Secret ingredient... splash of tequila

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

While the oven is warming you can work on the filling. The decision on amounts is based on the size of the pie-tin. If you use a larger pie tin, you may want to increase to the larger quantity.

Grate the zest in a bowl and add the egg yolks.  With a hand held mixer, beat the eggs and zest together for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken and turn a little bit pale green / yellow.  The color will depend on how much zest is actually in the pie. The more zest you use, the color will become more intense, as will the “tart” taste.

Put the filling aside while you make the crust.  The choice of pie tins is up to you.  Personally, I like an 8 or 9 inch round with a removable bottom.  It looks pretty when you are done and the balance between filling and crust is perfect for those of us who like crust.

Spray the pan with some sort of canned cooking spray – I prefer the kind with flour.

Loosely crumble the graham crackers into a food processor and give it a quick spin.  Add the ¼ cup of sugar and continue to process until you have something that seems like course sand.  Pour the mixture into a bowl.  Melt the stick of butter and pour it over the processed crackers.  Mix until the butter is completely absorbed.  I use my fingers, but a fork or spoon will work just as well.

Dump the mixture into the prepared pie tin and level the pile.  When it is evenly distributed, take a glass or some object with a flat bottom and begin to press the crackers into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  A nice even surface will give you the perfect balance between yummy crust and tangy filling.

Place the crust on a baking sheet and pop it into the oven which has been waiting for you.  Pull the crust out in about 10 minutes… you will know it's done because it will just begin to have a wonderful buttery sweet smell to it.

While the crust is in the oven, it's time to turn your attention back to the filling.  Pour in the lime juice and the can of sweetened condensed milk into the egg mixture.  And, if you are really bold, add a splash of tequila.  How big a splash – well, isn’t that really up to you?  I can tell you that my splash is errr… aggressive.  (Side note:  my husband actually prefers the pie without the tequila-- so you don’t have to put it in if you don’t want to!)

Mix everything together until it is combined.  When the pie crust is cool to the touch, pour the filling into the crust.  Put the pie into the oven (still 325 degrees) for about 25 minutes.  Shake the pie a little… if it seems set, it's done.

Cool to room temperature.  Then stick it in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours.  4 hours is better.  Some people like whipped cream with it… personally, I don't need it at all.

How long does the pie last? About half an hour from the time you cut into it!   But it really depends on how many people are requesting seconds.

My mother used to make a Thanksgiving dessert that she called Autumn Alaska.  It was originally inspired by the traditional Baked Alaska dessert - but used a full size pumpkin pie as the base, then a layer of ice cream topped by meringue.  It was both beautiful and delicious. In the 1970's, her recipe was published in a cookbook in the San Francisco area.

Unfortunately, she no longer has her exact recipe, but she was able to put this together based upon her memory and what she found on-line.  It's more of a concept than an exact recipe. You may use your own favorite pumpkin pie recipe or crust.  The pumpkin pie recipes calling for molasses got the best reviews for us.  It would be best if you could practice making this before attempting the recipe for a special event. On Thanksgiving, plan to assemble w/ice cream and bake just before serving after dinner.

Once perfected... the end result is a beautiful meringue pie with ice cream and pumpkin pie on the inside.  It's a unique twist to simple pumpkin pie.

Recipe is ready in 2-5 hours.  There is a degree of difficulty.

Serves/Makes:  12

Pumpkin Pie (or use your favorite recipe)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 cup (or less if you prefer) tablespoons molasses (makes flavor more rich)

3 egg yolks -- slightly beaten

1 can (16 ounce size) pumpkin

1 can (13 ounce size) evaporated milk

1 pint high quality Vanilla or French Vanilla ice cream

Single-Crust Pastry

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening,

1 tablespoon shortening (separate use from the 1/3 cup listed above)

2 tablespoons cold water

Brown Sugar Meringue

5 egg whites (room temperature)

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

10 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pastry.

Mix remaining pie ingredients except ice cream and meringue. Pour into

pastry-lined 10" pie plate. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until knife inserted in

center comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Refrigerate baked pie

at least 1 hour.

Soften ice cream slightly; press ice cream into waxed paper-lined pie plate, 8 ×

1 1/2 inches (make sure it's about an inch smaller than your pie pan) Freeze until very cold and solid. It's very important that the ice cream pie plate by smaller than the pumpkin pie dish.

Just before serving, heat oven to 500 degrees F. Prepare Brown Sugar

Meringue. Unmold ice cream and invert (upside down) on pie; remove waxed paper.

Spoon meringue onto pie, covering ice cream completely and sealing

meringue to edge of crust. Bake until golden brown (watch very closely), 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve immediately.  Because this has ice cream, it will not keep - plan to eat it all!

Additional Instructions:

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE: Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy.

Beat in brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until

stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla.

PASTRY: Mix flour and salt. Cut in lard until particles are size of

small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with

fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of

bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into ball; shape into flattened round on lightly floured

cloth-covered surface. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted pie

plate with floured cloth-covered rolling pin. Fold pastry into

fourths; unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom

and side.

Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and

roll pastry under, even with plate. Flatten pastry evenly on rim of

pie plate. Press firmly around edge with tines of fork, dipping fork

into flour occasionally to prevent sticking. Or build up edge of pastry.

Place index finger on inside of pastry edge and knuckles (or thumb and

index finger) on outside. Pinch pastry into V shape; pinch again to

sharpen. Fill and bake as directed in recipe.

For Baked Pie Shell: Heat oven to 475 degrees F. Prick bottom and side

thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool.