Banana Custard Food

BANANA CUSTARD PUDDING

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; gently stir in vanilla. , Cover and chill for 1 hour. Just before serving, fold in banana. Garnish with mint if desired.

BANANA CUSTARD PUDDING

Steps:

• Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan.
• Over medium heat, slowly add milk, stirring until mixture comes to a boil.
• Cook for 2 minutes.
• Temper egg yolks by adding a small amount of hot liquid, then return all to the saucepan.
• Cook until thickened, then remove from heat.
• Stir in vanilla and chill custard for 1 hour.
• Just before serving, fold in banana slices.
• Garnish with mint if desired.

BANANA CUSTARD ECLAIRS

Steps:

• Put the butter in a saucepan with 225ml water. Weigh the flour in a large bowl and set aside. Bring the butter and water to a fast boil with a pinch of salt, simmer until the butter has melted, then tip in the flour and beat like mad with a wooden spoon until the mixture is pulling away from the sides of the pan and is lump-free. Tip into the bowl and spread the thick paste up the sides a little to help it cool quickly, then leave for 10 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cut 2 pieces of baking parchment to fit 2 baking sheets. Using a ruler and a pen, mark 12 lines about 9cm long over each piece, leaving plenty of space between the lines. Flip the parchment over. Fit a piping bag with a large round piping nozzle, about 1.5cm wide. When the flour paste has cooled but is not cold, start adding the egg, bit by bit, beating well between each addition until you have a smooth batter, which will reluctantly drop off the end of your spoon. You may not need to use all the egg, so add it slowly. Transfer to your piping bag and use a little of the mixture to stick the parchment to your trays.
• Pipe the choux onto the baking sheet, using the lines as a guide. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 30 mins until the choux is puffed and golden. Swap the trays around for the final 5 mins. The choux should be crisp and hollow-sounding when tapped. You may wish to sacrifice 1 eclair to make sure that the inside is completely dried out; if it is still moist, the eclairs will sink when cooling. Once baked, leave to cool completely. Can be made 1 day ahead - store in a sealed container, and reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins to crisp up before filling.
• Now make the banana custard. Put the bananas, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor and whizz to a purée. Pour into a saucepan and bubble for a few mins until thickened. Mix the custard powder with 2-3 tbsp of the milk to make a smooth paste, then add the remaining milk, cream and vanilla, and stir well. Pour the custard mixture into the banana purée and continue cooking, whisking, until very thick and smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill for 2 hrs, or until cold.
• Pick out 24 nice banana chips and place on a tray lined with parchment. Spray with edible gold spray or cover with a little gold leaf, if you like. When you're ready to assemble the eclairs, split each one along one side. Transfer the banana custard to a disposable piping bag and snip off the corner. Fill the eclairs generously with the custard, lining up on a tray as you go. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 20 secs or so to prevent it from burning. When the eclairs are filled, carefully dip the top of each one into the chocolate, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Place a gold banana chip on each eclair and set back on the tray for 30 mins or so to set. Serve within 3 hrs.

SOUTHERN-STYLE BAKED BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Separate eggs, placing the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and the yolks into a saucepan.
• Add sugar, salt, and 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour to the yolks. Splash in about 1/4 of the milk and start blending mixture with a whisk. Pour in remaining milk and whisk until smooth.
• Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until hot to the touch, occasionally dipping your finger in to test. Whisk constantly until custard is thick enough to form ribbons.
• Remove custard from heat and add vanilla extract, banana liqueur, and cold butter. Whisk until butter dissolves. Set custard aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Toss banana slices with lemon juice.
• Spread a quarter of the custard over the bottom of a baking dish. Add a single layer of vanilla wafers. Cover with 1/2 of the bananas and spread 1/2 of the remaining custard on top. Add another layer of vanilla wafers, using slightly fewer this time. Top with the remaining bananas and custard. Smooth the top and tap dish against the counter to settle the pudding.
• Add cream of tartar to the egg whites. Beat using the whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Spread meringue over the pudding using a soft spatula, creating ridges for contrast.
• Bake in the preheated oven until meringue is nicely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.

EGGY BANANA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Whisk egg. Whisk in mashed banana, breast milk or formula and nutmeg until very well combined.
• Heat a pan over medium heat. Add egg and banana mixture and cook, stirring often, until eggs are scrambled and completely cooked through.
• Remove from heat, let cool and chop into tiny pieces that your baby can easily manage.

HOMEMADE BANANA PUDDING

Steps:

• Make the pudding: Combine the milk, sugar, flour and salt in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick, about 8 minutes. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and beat lightly. Whisk a little bit of the milk mixture into the egg yolks until tempered. Slowly add the egg mixture to the milk mixture, and whisk until combined. Cook 2 more minutes to cook the eggs, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring to melt the butter. Let stand until cooled, about 30 minutes. (You can also chill the custard over an ice bath for 10 minutes.)
• Make the vanilla bean whipped cream: Chill a mixing bowl and beater in the freezer. Scrape the vanilla seeds from pod with a paring knife into the chilled bowl. Add the whipping cream and sugar to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• To finish: Arrange a single layer of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of sliced bananas on top. Cover with half of the pudding. Repeat the layers once. Top the last layer with the whipped cream. Garnish with the crushed vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, if desired. Cover and chill 1 hour, or until ready to serve.

BANANA CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, peel and mash the bananas and mix with the lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the nutmeg.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk and sugar. In a small bowl, blend the eggs and vanilla together, then combine with the banana mixture and milk mixture. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the buttered baking pan. Pour the custard into a 9 x 13 x 2-inch ovenproof dish.
• Sprinkle on the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Place the pan into a larger pan that is filled with warm water, 1/2 inch up the side. Bake for 1 hour or until the custard is set.

BANANA PUDDING CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• For the crust:
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Place the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until the crumbs resemble coarse meal. Add the melted butter and sugar and pulse until the cookie crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie tin.
• Bake the crust until set and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
• For the filling:
• Cover and chill the egg whites. In a medium saucepan, combine the cornstarch, milk, cream, egg yolks, and 1 cup of the sugar. Cook over medium heat, whisking continuously, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Do not leave the custard unattended while whisking because the egg yolks will cook and make the mixture grainy. Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Pour the custard into the baked crust and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• When ready to assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and the cream of tartar. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Arrange the banana slices in a single layer over the custard. Top the banana slices with the vanilla wafers. Spread the meringue over the wafers, covering the entire pie.
• Bake until the meringue is light brown all over, about 10 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 20 minutes before serving.
• Chef's Tip: The secret to making custard pies is controlling the heat of the stove: it should be intense enough to advance the cooking process but not so hot that it scorches the custard.

BANANA CUSTARD PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly spray a 9" pie plate with cooking spray.
• Using a food processor, grind up the graham crackers (6 full size sheets).
• Add the butter and cold water and process until the mixture is blended and crumbly.
• Using your fingers or a measuring cup bottom, press the crumbs evenly into the pie plate to form a crust base.
• Bake 10 minutes or until very lightly toasted, then allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, place gelatin into a small dish and stir in the boiling water until dissolved, set aside.
• Whisk together 1/3 cup sugar with the carefully measured flour in a medium saucepan until blended (no heat yet).
• Beat together the egg yolks and the milk then add to the flour mixture and whisk to blend, still no heat yet.
• Once evertything has dissolved, go ahead and turn on the heat to medium and set your timer for 10 minutes.
• Do not leave your pan, keep stirring and heating your custard over medium heat for 10 minutes -- if you stop stirring, it will burn, so grab a helper or gab on the cordless phone to pass the time while you stir.
• It will look thin and you will be thinking, this is not thickening, and then poof right around 10 minutes, it will start to thicken up and coat the spoon as it nears the boiling point -- custard is ready when you can lift your spoon out and the spoon is coated with a layer of custard that you can swipe with your finger and leave a line that doesn't get immediately filled in by drips.
• (Depending on what "medium heat" means on your stove, if may actually be slightly shorter or longer than 10 minutes, but 10 min is how long it takes on my stove).
• Take it off of the heat (keep stirring) and add that gelatin mixture you set aside earlier and the vanilla extract.
• Grab a nutmeg grater and grate a tiny amount of nutmeg into the custard, stir to blend (if you only have preground nutmeg it will taste gritty, so I only recommended fresh--and go EASY on this as it can overpower; you can leave out if you want).
• Slice up your bananas as the custard cools slightly.I like them to be thin but not overly thin, so they keep their shape.
• Place banana slices into the pie plate and then pour the still a little warm custard over the top -- poking any renegade banana slices back under the custard so everything is covered, but do not stir.
• Chill until set and cooled, about 3 hours.
• Just before serving, whip cream using an electric mixer or a magic bullet until soft peaks begin to form.
• Add sugar and extract and beat until soft peaks are definitely there.
• Scoop into a plastic bag, snip off an end, and squirt dollops of whipped cream decoratively over the pie.
• If you like more whipped cream, then by all means double this or triple this part (only go easy on the extract as it can be too strong) -- but I like the whipped cream to just be a garnish.

BANANA & CUSTARD POTS

Steps:

• Put the coffee into a shallow dish and dissolve in 150ml boiling water. Set out 4 sundae glasses or teacups. Whisk together the mascarpone, custard, sugar and 1 tbsp Marsala, if using, until smooth. Dip a couple of sponge fingers into the now cooled coffee for a few secs until soaked but not soggy, then put into the bottom of one of the glasses, breaking them to fit if needed. Repeat, using enough fingers to make a decent layer of sponge at the bottom of each glass. Drizzle with remaining Marsala, if using.
• Spoon over a layer of the mascarpone custard, then top with some sliced banana and a sprinkling of chocolate. Repeat the layers, then chill for 10 mins before serving.