Banana Cream Pretzel Crust Pie Food

PRETZEL-CRUSTED BUTTERSCOTCH BANANA CREAM TART

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, pulse the pretzels until they're finely ground but not turned to dust. Some pretzel pieces should still be intact. Transfer the pretzel bits to a large bowl. Add the melted butter and brown sugar to the crushed pretzels and stir to combine.
• Place a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom on the prepared sheet and, using a spoon, fill with the pretzel mixture and shape it so the edges are crisp and it's about 1/4 inch thick all over. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes and cool in the pan on a wire rack.
• Make the filling: Put a damp kitchen towel under a large bowl and whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. (The towel will ensure the bowl doesn't slide around.)
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk until it is above room temperature, about 4 minutes. With one hand, start whisking the cornstarch mixture; with the other hand, slowly drizzle the hot milk into the bowl, whisking until all the milk is incorporated.
• Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and cook on medium heat until the filling is thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't let it boil.
• Using a rubber spatula, pour the filling into a bowl, then stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing down to make sure that the wrap and the pudding are touching. Refrigerate until it is cool to touch.
• Make the butterscotch sauce: Clip a candy thermometer to a large saucepan. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and 3/4 cup of cream to the pan and heat over medium-high heat until it boils, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and slowly heat the sauce until it reaches 234 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
• When the sauce reaches 234 degrees F, take it off the stove and let it cool for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into a large bowl. Slowly stir in the butter until incorporated with a wooden spoon. Carefully drizzle in the remaining cream and the vanilla while stirring constantly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
• Make the tart: Arrange half of the banana slices and chocolate chips if using in the bottom of the tart shell. Pour about half of the filling into the tart shell and spread it around evenly. Eat the remaining pudding with a spoon. (It tastes better if you share.)
• Arrange the rest of the bananas and chocolate chips if using on the top of the pastry cream. Put the tart shell in the fridge until you're ready to finish the tart.
• Make the topping: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt and continue to whip, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is well combined, about 1 minute.
• With the mixer speed on low, drizzle in the cream. Increase the speed and whisk, scraping down the sides as needed, until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Detach the bowl from the mixer and set aside.
• Finish the tart: Remove the tart shell from the fridge. Using a rubber spatula, generously cover the tart with the topping. Artfully drizzle the butterscotch sauce over the pie.
• Using a cheese grater, rasp grater or vegetable peeler, shave milk chocolate over the tart. Slice and serve with more butterscotch sauce.

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse the cones, salt and sugar in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse sand. Press on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes; let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Bring 2 cups milk to a bare simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar and the vanilla in a large bowl until smooth and pale. Whisk in the cornstarch. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture, then pour into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens and begins to bubble, about 2 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; set aside to cool, stirring frequently.
• Put the remaining 2 tablespoons milk and the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate melts, then let cool slightly.
• Spread the chocolate over the bottom and up the sides of the crust. Press the bananas into the chocolate, then pour the custard over the bananas. Cover and chill until set, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and half of the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat until opaque. Add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 more minutes.
• Swirl the meringue on the pie with the back of a spoon. Bake until golden brown in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Let sit at room temperature until set, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

BANANA CREAM / PRETZEL CRUST PIE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degree F. In a large mixing bowl ( I used my food processor )- combine flour, pretzels, salt and butter until texture is crumbly. Add water, mix well.
• 2. Dust a flat working surface with flour. Roll out crust on surface with a rolling pin until you have a nice, even crust (approximately 12 inch diameter)
• 3. Fold in half and gently place in the pie plate. (The crust is fragile but pinches together nicely if it falls apart). Flute edges, poke the bottom with a fork and bake 10-12 minutes.
• 4. Cool completely.
• 5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, 1/2 of a sliced banana, 1 cup non dairy whipped topping.
• 6. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of cooled pretzel crust.
• 7. Slice bananas on top of cheese mixture.
• 8. Mix pudding and milk until thickened . Pour over bananas. Layer with another sliced banana Top with 3 cups of non dairy whipped topping
• 9. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. May garnish with crushed pretzels or sliced bananas. A slice to follow, once chilled! So yummy! Enjoy!

BANANA CREAM PIE

Steps:

• Prepare and bake the crust.
• To make the filling, combine 2 cups milk, sugar and salt in a non-reactive saucepan; whisk once to mix and bring to a boil over low heat. Place remaining 1/2 cup milk in a mixing bowl and whisk in cornstarch, then eggs. Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil over low heat then whisk about a third of it into the egg mixture. Return milk and sugar mixture to a boil once more and whisk in the egg mixture, whisking constantly until the filling thickens and comes to a boil. Allow to boil, whisking constantly, for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla; pour into a non-reactive bowl. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the filling and chill until it is approximately 75 degrees. Fold the bananas into the cooled filling and spread it evenly in the cooled crust.
• To finish the pie, whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it holds a firm peak. Use a hand mixer on medium speed or a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the whisk. Spread the cream over the filling, making sure it touches the edges of the crust all around.
• To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients. Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible. Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the butter and flour mixture and stir gently with a fork -- the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough, a tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade. Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix. Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl. Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1-second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible--about 15 pulses in all. Scatter the minimum amount of water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times -- the dough should begin holding together. If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, 1 teaspoon at a time for the smaller quantity of dough,one tablespoon at a time for the larger quantity, until the dough holds together easily.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk (two equal disks for the larger amount of dough). Sandwich the disk(s) of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap and press it into a 6-inch circle. Refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour.