Caramel Sponge Pie Food

SALTED CARAMEL BANANA PUDDING PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the vanilla wafers in a food processor and pulse until the cookies are finely crushed. Reserve 1/2 cup to layer in and to top the pie. Pour the remaining crumbs in a 9-inch pie plate. Pour the melted butter over the top and, using a spoon or your hands, combine the ingredients. Press the mixture in the bottom and up the sides and onto the lip of the pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Peel and slice the bananas, adding them to a bowl. Stir the salt into the caramel sauce and toss the banana slices with the salted caramel. Arrange some banana slices evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread half of the warm Vanilla Pudding over the bananas, top with some more crushed vanilla wafers (reserving some for garnish) and more caramel-coated bananas. Spread the remaining Vanilla Pudding over the top.
• In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Add the almond extract and sugar and beat until peaks form. Make sure not to overbeat, or the cream will become lumpy and butter-like. Spread the whipped cream over the pie. Just before serving, garnish with a caramel swirl and the rest of the crushed vanilla wafers.
• Combine the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. This is the only time you can stir the sugar. If you stir it while it's cooking, it turns to rock candy. Place the saucepan over medium to low heat until the sugars start to dissolve, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the sugar starts to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not stir while this is happening. You've got to watch the pot, because it goes from caramel to burnt really quickly. And be careful, the mixture is extremely hot!
• Turn off the heat and stand back to avoid splattering. Slowly add the cream. Don't panic - the cream will bubble violently, and the caramel will solidify. Just give it more time to liquefy again-trust me!
• Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is smooth, about 2 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. It will thicken as it sits.
• 3 cups.
• In a bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour until all of the lumps are gone. Once it is a fine powder, whisk in the egg yolks and whole eggs and continue whisking until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly whisk in 1 cup milk, and once this is incorporated add the remaining 1 cup milk. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it reaches the thickness of chilled pudding, 10 to 15 minutes. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will be thick enough to hold soft peaks when the whisk is lifted.) Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

CARAMEL SPONGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Separate egg whites from yolks, and place in separate large bowls. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites until stiff.
• To the yolks, add the brown sugar, butter, flour, and milk; beat well. Fold egg whites into the batter; pour into the pie crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set and lightly browned, about 45 minutes.

OLD FASHIONED CARAMEL PIE

Steps:

• Leave oven on from baking pie shells. Whisk together the 1-2/3 cups sugar and cornstarch in a large (at least 2 qt.) microwaveable bowl until there are no more lumps from the cornstarch. Pour the milk into the sugar mixture and whisk together until smooth. Add the butter to the top of the mixture.
• Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Whisk thoroughly. Microwave for 3 more minutes, whisk again. Have the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Beat them slightly. Add a tablespoon full of the hot mixture at a time to the egg yolks, stirring well after each addition. Do this until the yolk mixture is warm. (This will keep it from getting lumpy.) Then add the yolk mixture to the cooked mixture. Microwave in one minute increments, whisking each time, until the mixture is of pudding consistency. Whisk in the vanilla. Set aside.
• Put the 2/3 cup sugar into a small iron skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, on high until brown and bubbling. It will look like it's going to boil over. Pour IMMEDIATELY into cooked filling and whisk thoroughly. Divide between the 2 pie shells.
• Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar (if using) until foamy and slightly holding shape. Turn beaters on low speed. Add the 3/4 cup sugar. After sugar is mixed in, turn beaters on high again. Beat until meringue is hard to shake off a spoon (or it stays on beater when you turn off mixer and pull beaters out of bowl). Spread meringue onto filling all the way to the edges.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until brown. Watch closely. Turn off oven, open oven door slightly, and let pies cool in oven for 1 hour. Let pies cool completely on counter. Spray plastic wrap with Pam, cover pies and refrigerate.

CARAMEL CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans.
• Cream white sugar, 1 1/2 cups butter, and eggs together in a bowl. Beat well.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add to the sugar mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla extract. Beat until batter makes ribbons when falling from the whisk or beater. Divide batter among the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool layers on a rack before icing, at least 1 hour.
• Combine brown sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until brown sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Add evaporated milk and continue stirring. Bring to a gentle boil and let bubble for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking. Remove from heat and allow to cool, about 5 minutes.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract into the butter-milk mixture using an electric mixer until icing caramelizes and thickens to the desired consistency.
• Spread icing onto the cooled cake layers. Stack layers; ice top and sides.